The Blood of the Lioness
by The Cinder Crown
Summary: After the battle, Harry visits his parents' grave and watches an unknown woman who seemed to be very close to his mother Lily. Who is she? Will Harry - with Hermione's help & several trips into the pensieve - finally get the family he had always dreamed of? And how will Minerva cope with the heartache of re-surfacing memories and secrets she had long ago tried to forget? ADMM, OC
1. Every villain needs a helping hand

**Hello lovelies!**

 **Thanks for checking out my story!**

 **Now here's the cover - all disclaimer (this should work for the entire story): I sadly don't own Harry Potter or any other character of the books. I wish I did, but they all belong to JKR.**

 **A little sidenote... I'm from Germany, therefore I apologise for any spelling and grammar mistakes in advance!**

 **This is the first story I ever published, so I would be happy to recieve a few reviews on what you think!  
**

 **It also has a lot of ADMM. I know - it's not canon and JKR had announced more facts about our candy-loving headmaster - but ever since I saw Dame Maggie (my favourite! Actress ever) and Richard Harris in the first movie I it just *feels* right that they belong together.**

 **This story means a lot to me, since I put a lot of effort and thoughts into it, so if you don't like the pairing, you have now the chance to turn around and not to read it.**

 **In some parts it will also be sort of AU-ish for obvious reasons, but you will see that soon :)**

 **I really hope you like it!**

 **All the best, Lexi**

* * *

 **Every villain needs a helping hand  
**

* * *

It was a dark place. And due to the recent events much darker than it has ever been. The forbidden forest has always been a rather scary place, but now the grounds were covered with blood and bones; dead bodies could be seen all over the place.

But for some odd reason, there were still people gathering around, completely ignoring the corpses all around them. They all wore different emotions on their faces; anger, hate, disappointment, hurt, some of them even fear.

Their black, monotone and slightly torn robes, that showed scratches, cuts and bruises, were equally dark reminders of their former leader, the belief they shared and the battle they had recently lost.

With the last stroke of the clock, two cloaked figures made their way up to a higher position to overview the crowd beneath them.

"Gather around, my dearest friends, for we have the victory to become truly ours!" An old man's rusty voice echoed through the clearing.

"The victory is already lost! Our master's been defeated!" shouted a voice from the crowd and affirmative sounds followed his words.

Now the other person on the top made a step forward and contrary to her partner - whose robes still showed a slim and in every way masculine figure - her body was round and when she started to speak, the words came out of her mouth in a very high-pitched voice.

"The Dark Lord might be dead, but there is still something left for us! One thing they can't take from us!"

"Our vengeance!" The man finished with a _very_ dramatic gesture.

Clarity replaced the puzzled looks on the others faces.

"We will take over the castle tomorrow! For all it's worth, for it's all we have left! And we'll fight everyone standing in our way! Therefore we need all of you! Help to make Hogwarts the school it was supposed to be years ago! Help me, help us, to right the wrongs! Or to say it with the words of the Ministry of Magic: _Do it for the greater good: do what must be done_!"

With these words, even the ones with little doubts left, joined in the applause. In order to prepare themselves for the very last battle, they left the forbidden forest with new found energy and in quite a hurry, leaving, apart from the dead bodies, only the two people on the mountaintop.

"This was better than I had ever imagined!" Said the woman excitedly.

"You really do have quite the persuasion skills, I might add, dearie. Though, it's not really a hard task to manipulate all their haunted souls for your own purpose."

"Well, just don't forget that without my skills, the Dark Lord would have finished you off right away, old man!"

"Oh, I have not forgotten. Otherwise I would not have joined you up here to gather all these idiots," the man sneered.

Now the woman turned to face the man, confusion written all over her face.

"What do you mean, _idiots_? They're following me, just like you do."

The man started laughing.

"Oh, on the contrary, dearie! You stopped Tom from killing me, therefore I helped you to get your followers and we are even."

This said, the woman looked like she just got hit in the stomach, and she could not reply. So the man explained, still wearing a bright grin.

"As much as I'd love to rule over Hogwarts, there is one simple reason as to why I cannot join you: This whole attack is only for you having backup to get your own vengeance and kill the person you hate most. Unfortunately, I have my own purposes for this person, and I need her alive."

The woman, again, looked puzzled.

"But you do realize that she will be dead tomorrow, don't you? I will kill her myself, didn't you listen?!"

"Indeed, I did, but I doubt you'll succeed," he laughed. "Even with your so called _backup_ , she's still a pretty hard piece of work, you know."

"I will succeed this time, and if it is the last thing I do!"

"Well, dearie, then our ways will part here. I wish you the best of luck; for you'll certainly need it," he laughed. "But I'll give you this, as a little thank you gift. Just in case all else fails."

He handed her a short, but nonetheless sharp knife, wrapped in a scarf - probably used as a protection from the blade.

"That's all?" The woman asked, eyeing the knife skeptically.

"That's all you'll need," he said and grinned again. "After all, every villain needs a helping hand once in a while, right?"

Just as he was about to vanish he turned around once again.

"And maybe you should fix your hair before you go into battle tomorrow… this pink ribbon there looks a bit burned if you ask me."


	2. A castle in ruins

_**A.N.: Hi everyone!**_

 _ **First of all I am so very sorry for the incredibly late update! I had already written several chapters, when my computer shut down and everything was gone.**_

 _ **Therefore I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! You are the reason I didn't give up on this story and kept me motivated to write more! Once again I will remind you that it will be slightly AU-ish and with appearences of my own characters, but you will see the reason for that in this chapter already.**_

 _ **I really hope you like the new chappie, so please tell me what you think!**_

 _ **All the best, Lexi**_

* * *

 **A castle in ruins**

* * *

It felt strange to walk through the Great Hall. The big doors at the entrance had been blown away one after another during the battle and the once so protective walls were also damaged. Dirt, rocks and glass splinters everywhere and remains blood were still visible on the ground.

Harry sighed. Nothing reminded him of the once so bright and wonderfully decorated Hall he had walked through all these years ago as a nervous first year. The broken windows had been fixed for the moment with a couple of temporary spells; undamaged tables and chairs had been rearranged and hospital beds with injured witches and wizards had been set up all around the Hall.

"Harry, dear, come sit down here and have a cup of tea with us! It is still dangerous strolling around the castle!" Molly Weasley shouted suddenly and Harry was torn out of his thoughts.

For a brief moment the young adult wondered how Mrs. Weasley could still care about everyone even though she recently lost one of her sons in the battle.

As he reached the big, round table in the middle of the hall, occupied with a lot of friends and Order members, he bent down and gave the red-haired woman a loving hug; then sat down next to her. She smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, dear. Now, a cup of tea?"

"Actually, yes, I would like that please. How are you holding up?" He added thoughtfully.

Molly sighed as she passed him a cup of hot, steaming tea. Judeging by the wonderful smell, he assumed that it was peppermint tea.

"Well, we've all been better and we lost so many friends and family members tonight, but…"

"Freddie and the others wouldn't want to see us crying over them!" George finished with a hint of a smile. Harry had to swallow. It was the first smile he had seen from the now lonely twin.

"Of course we'll miss them horribly, but George is right, we must learn to move on!" added Arthur Weasley.

Harry could see George grinning at his father.

"You know, dad, that's the first time in my life you said I'm right!"

Now everybody at the table grinned.

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear you saying that, Dad! You should really mark it in your calendar, Georgie!" Was the laughing reply which nobody had ever expected to hear again.

.

Everyone looked around, not believing their ears to have heard right.

"Eyes up, guys, I'm here!" sounded the familiar voice again.

George was the first one to follow the instructions and turned his head to the ceiling and his eyes went wide.

"F… Freddie?!" He stuttered, his wide eyes fixed on the silvery shining, transparent form of his now ghostly twin brother.

"Right, again, brother dearest! Twice in one day, that's certainly a new record!" Replied the ghost grinning.

Tears of happiness were flowing down Mrs. Weaslys cheeks, Mr. Weasley put his arms around his wife, unable to say anything. Ron, Harry, Ginny and Luna were smiling brightly, as did Hermione, though her brain was working again.

"How is this possible? You never were afraid to die. How can you be a ghost at Hogwarts?" She asked astonished.

Ghost-Fred grinned from ear to ear.

"Hermione, Hermione, do you really think I would miss such an opportunity to be in charge of all the fun?"

"Well, I think we should have expected something like that from you." Hermione shook her head, smiling nonetheless.

"Awesome," was all George said and one could practically see his mind connection with Fred's; already creating future plans and pranks together.

"Don't worry, Mum, it didn't hurt when I died. And as cruel as it sounds, a lot of us died really fast. No one had to suffer long!" Fred said reassuringly, giving his still crying mother a sympathetic look.

The others nodded, agreeing with the ghost.

"And a lot of them are still trying to fight death and recover from their injuries," said another voice from behind the table.

.

Everyone turned around. Hermione squealed, jumped from her chair and gave the approaching man a bone-crushing hug.

"Uncle Aidan! I'm so glad to see you! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too, Hermione!" He said and held her tight.

He was rather tall, had a well-trained body, blond hair, and dark, chocolate brown eyes. All in all he really was a very handsome man, though his once white clothes were like everybody elses' covered in dirt and blood.

When Hermione released him, he turned to the others at the table.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, sir! Hermione's told us a lot about you. Please sit down!" Neville said.

"Thanks, and please, there's no need for the 'sir'. Call me Dan." He said and sat down. "But I'm afraid I don't have much time. I'm here to help Madam Pomfrey."

"Aren't you needed at St. Mungos, Sir – erm Dan? If I remember correctly, you're Head Healer there, aren't you?" George asked seriously.

Aidan nodded and smiled.

"Yes, but due to the fact that the majority was fighting at Hogwarts, I decided, that I'd rather be here."

"And that's good, boy!" Came sharp voice from behind and everyone turned around once more; only to have their eyes go wide in surprise

" _Alastor!_ "

" _Professor Moody!_ "

" _Mad-Eye!_ "

" _Moody!_ "

" _Bloody Hell!_ "

Neville, Luna, George, Ginny and Ron starred wide eyed at one ex- Professor Alastor _"Mad-Eye"_ Moody as he sat down on the table, too.

"But, but but… he's _dead_!" Ron stammered.

"He doesn't look dead to me, Ronniekins," added Fred grinning.

Molly, Arthur, Harry, Aidan and Hermione didn't seem surprised by the sudden appearance.

Hermione sighed. "Honestly, Ron! You didn't believe that, did you?"

Ron just starred at her with his mouth hanging open, unable to speak.

"It was a cover-up story. Aidan made him a new magically rotating eye and went spying on the ministry." Harry said.

"You didn't really expect him to be falling of his own broom, did you?" Aidan asked grinning.

"No, of course not - It's just I haven't seen him in a really long time and…" Ron trailed of, blushing a bright crimson.

Moody just winked at him, his magical eye rotating.

"It's quite alright, boy! By now I'm kinda used to people thinking I'm dead."

Now Harry's head turned to Aidan.

"Speaking of haven't seen in a really long time… How's your wife? And daughter?" Harry asked smiling.

Though he had only once met Hermione's Uncle Aidan in person, ever since he started Hogwarts and became friends Hermione, he always received both a Christmas and birthday present from the Gold Family every year.

"Well, our little Arielle is securely taken care of at my father's house, and I'm gonna pick her after I'm done with my work. As for my wife…"

"Oh Merlin, she's dead, isn't she? She can't be! I haven't even met her yet…" Hermione panicked.

Aidan immediately shook his head.

"No, no, no Hermione. I'm sorry, I should have said it differently. Don't worry, she is _not_ dead. She sent me a Patronus earlier informing me that she ended the battle with only a few scratches. I'm just a little worried, because my definition of fine and hers are quite different... But I'm sure she'll be here soon." He said and squeezed Hermione's hand.

Suddenly Luna looked up.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. How can Hermione _not_ know her own aunt?"

"Yeah, we had to visit relatives all the time, including Great-Aunty Muriel…" Fred said exasperated.

"Well," Aidan stated sadly. "We both had rather demanding jobs, and whenever we had a family meeting, either Hermione or one of us couldn't attend. So even for the long time we've been married, Hermione had never really met my wife."

"Never really...?" Harry asked grinning; he had immediately noticed Dan's use of words.

The young surgeon smiled. "I doubt Hermione remembers sleeping in my wife's arms as a tiny little baby, do you?"

Hermione shook her head and everyone laughed. "Ellie probably won't remember me either... I haven't seen her for so long!"

"You will be seeing her soon, don't worry," Aidan assured his niece and smirked. "And who knows, maybe you left a good expression the last time you saw her."

Luna, apparently satisfied with the blond man's explanation, nodded in understanding and just then another person neared the table.

"Oh, Harry! I didn't really have the chance to congratulate you yet! May I sit down here with you?" Professor Slughorn asked, smiling brightly at everyone.

Harry saw the looks on the faces of his friends, but he was too tired to search for an excuse to get rid of the Professor. And he wasn't that bad after all.

"Of course, you may, Professor!" Harry said as politely as he could.

"I observe, this is quite the popular table, here…" Fred stated, still floating over the table.

Slughorn sat down on the table and patted Harry on the shoulder.

"Ah, thank you Harry. So what have you been talking about lately?" He asked.

The friends looked at each other; no one in the mood to answer the question. In the end, Aidan enlightened the Professor.

"Nothing much in particular. We were talking about my wife, Professor." He said form the other end of the table.

Slughorn apparently just recognized Aidan.

"By Merlins beard! Aidan Gold! Is that really you, my boy? I haven't seen you since your last Slugclub in your seventh year! That was when you had already started you apprentice-ship under Madam Pompfrey, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Aidan confirmed shortly. Apparently he wasn't in the mood to have a small-talk conversation with the Head of Slytherin House either. "I managed to get a joined apprentice-ship with her and St. Mungos as well as being accepted to the Asclepius Institute of Higher Healing and advanced Surgery."

Slughorn looked like he couldn't trust his ears and he slammed his fist against the table in a gesture of demonstrating how proud he was. "My, I knew you'd someday achieve something great in your life! And now I've heard that you are Chief of Surgery at St. Mungos? That's certainly something, myboy!"

Aidan faked a smile; he was obviously not comfortable with everyone's admiring eyes on him.

"Well, thank you, Professor..."

To everyone's disappointment Slughorn just kept on talking.

"Yes, yes, so I hear you have a wife and child? I haven't heard about your marriage, my boy! Do we know the lucky lady?" The Slytherin asked enthusiastically.

This time Aidan took a deep breath.

"I suppose you do, Professor. Though she's been your student for only a short amount of time, I'm sure you remember the former Miss Pendragon?"

Slughorns eyes widened - if possible - even more.

"Pendragon? Your girlfriend in your last year? The Ilvermorny-Champion who won the previous Tri-Wizard-Tournament held at Hogwarts?"

"The one and only." Aidan answered proudly.

Now everyone was listening excitedly to the conversation, but Hermione couldn't stop herself form asking.

"Wait, she won the Tri-wizard-Tournament?!"

"Indeed she did, Miss Granger! She was the very first girl ever to win the tournament. She had amazing magical skills!" Slughorn said, still a little astonished.

"Well, you had to be pretty good to survive something like that," Aidan stated a little angrily.

The others picked up Aidan's angry tone.

"Why, what happened?" Luna asked.

Aidan sighed.

"This tournament was in the first place way more dangerous than the one Harry competed in."

Molly Weasley starred at him.

"This is impossible, Aidan! These tasks were like deathtraps."

Aidan nodded in understanding.

"I'm aware of that, Molly! I was watching as well. But for Harry's tournament the tasks had been eased. His last task in the maze was similar to the first back then."

Everyone gasped at that.

"You've got to be kidding!" Fred and George shouted at the same time.

"I'm afraid not. Al…Professor Dumbledore insisted when he was informed that the second tournament was to be held at Hogwarts, that the tasks had to be simplified," Aidan replied.

"The Tri-Wizard-Tournament has always been a challenge but a security mistake like that one back then couldn't happen twice. So apparently he tried everything to prevent it this time..." Slughorn mumbled.

"Excuse me? Which security mistake?!" Ginny asked exasperated.

This time Moody answered.

"The ministry organized everything about the tournament, and needless to say, they screwed up. One reason Albus disliked them!"

"What happened?" Asked Ron nervously.

Aidan now bristled with anger.

"It was the final task. There's no need to go into the details, therefore long story short: They, like Harry, were sent into an arena, had to reach the Tri-Wizard-Trophy and once they touched it, they were to be transported out of the arena and it was  
supposed to be finished. "

"But it wasn't?" Neville asked afraid.

"No, it wasn't! My wife was the last one to compete. The others had already given up. She battled herself trough, but when she reached the cup nothing happened. To ensure the auditions safety a magical barrier – drawn by the ministry, of course – had been placed around the arena. A wrong incantation was used, which caused the portkey to malfunction and she was trapped."

Molly and Arthur looked shocked, as did Harry, Ron, Neville and Luna. Hermione covered her mouth with her hands, and Ginny and George just starred at Aidan.

"By the time the Professors were able to break through that stupid barrier, she was barely alive." Aidan finished.

Everyone starred at him now with big wide eyes.

"Bloody hell, she must have been one hell of a great witch!" Ron said still astonished.

"She still is. She was working as an Unspeakable in the department of Mysteries." Aidan said proudly and upon seeing Ron's confused look, he added, "They usually aren't allowed to speak about their work, therefore little is actually known about what they really do down there. All I can tell is that they do a lot of research about the origins of things like Time, Love and Death..."

Several of the younger ones gasped. But Professor Slughorn didn't.

"I cannot say I'm really surprised by that fact. Because even though I only taught her for that one year, I could tell Miss Pendragon was one of the most powerful witches I've ever seen. Besides your mother, of course, Harry," he said beaming.

Harry's heart warmed up at that statement, but he didn't reply.

"Well, and Minerva, of course! Even if she wouldn't admit it…" Arthur Weasley pointed out.

Slughorn just shook his head.

"Minerva _is_ the most powerful witch I've ever seen. Always was. But these two - Miss Pendragonand and Miss Evans – even reminded me a bit of her… they were the only ones comparable to her abilities."

Aidan said nothing; Harry starred at Slughorn.

"Wait a minute! Professor McGonagall was once your student?" He asked surprised.

Slughorn nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, yes, Harry, she was! I started teaching… when she was in her second year, I guess."

"Wow! So she had both you and Professor Dumbledore as her teachers?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Oh, no, Miss Granger! Albus started teaching the year after she graduated! He never was her teacher; it's a common misconception," he laughed.

Hermione wasn't the only one surprised by that statement. Well, apart from Aidan, who just gave a confirming nod, but didn't say anything.

"But I always thought Professor Dumbledore trained her to be an animagus!" Ginny pointed out, rather confused.

Slughorn only laughed more, so it was Moody who answered.

"Minerva's animagus-transformation had always been quite the mystery… I didn`t know she had accomplished it until there was an article in the daily prophet about her - "

" - being the youngest witch to ever make a successful transformation! I read that article a couple of years back; it was really interesting and - "

"HERMIONE!" Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Fred and George shouted at the same time to stop their friend from talking more about her beloved reading material.

"From what I know, Minerva had known Albus ever since she was a little girl. Therefore it's no wonder the two of them shared a very unique friendship. And after her parents' death, this friendship just grew stronger, I suppose", Moody mumbled.

"You shouldn't talk about things you don't really know anything about, Alastor!" stated a slightly angry voice coming from behind.

.

Everyone turned around again just to see Madam Pompfrey coming closer.

"Well, and you do know more specific details, Poppy?" Moody asked in his old grumpy manner.

Madam Pompfrey laughed.

"She's my best friend, of course I do! But it's not my story to tell and if you just had a bit of respect for your old friend left, you wouldn't sit here spreading rumors!"

Harry thought this was the very first time he saw Alastor Moody speechless. Come to think of it, this had also been the first time Moody talked about something other than war, death and constant vigilance…

But before Harry could let his mind wander any further, Madam Pompfrey spoke again.

"Good. Now I just wanted to let you know, Aidan, that I may need you in half an hour to make an all-round check-up on everyone."

Aidan nodded.

"Please make sure not to forget the ones resting here in the Great Hall! The hospital wing is way too crowded so we had to expand…"

"Don't worry, Poppy, I will." Aidan said reassuringly.

"Thank you, dear! What would I do without you?" she smirked and patted him lightly on the shoulder before she headed off to the hospital wing again.

Aidan shook his head, smiling after her.

"When he wakes up and finds out that we tied him to one of the hospital beds, it would be _you_ \- and not me - who had to deal the wrath of one bloody furious Severus Snape!"

* * *

 **A.N.: When I heard of his recent death yesterday, I couldn't believe, no I didn't want to believe it was true! This chapter is therefore dedicated to Alan Rickmann - a fabulous actor, who playedthe role of Severus Snape like no one else could ever have - my grandma, and everyone else who fought or is still fighting their battle against cancer! They will always be in our hearts!** *always*

 **yours, Lexi  
**


	3. Better late than never

**A.N: Hi everyone!**

 **A very big thank you to all of you out there who read and especially followed my story!**

 **It made me really really really happy!**

 **I am currently trying to make up for my lack of updates in the past, so I got the next chappie for you :)**

 **As always, I hope you like it! And please tell me what you think!**

 **All the best, Lexi  
**

* * *

 **Better late than never**

* * *

Everyone stopped dead in track just to stare at Aidan, wide eyed and open mouthed.

"What did you say, Dan?" Harry asked astonished.

"That Severus will be in a horrible mood when he wakes up," he sighed.

"But Nagini… she killed… we saw him die!"

Aidan looked at all of them surprised. "Oh, Minerva didn't tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Molly asked confused.

"Severus survived! His wounds were treated with what Poppy suspected to be Phoenix tears and he left the Shrieking shack to join the battle," Aidan explained.

"Unbelievable! Minerva didn't say a word!" Moody grumbled.

Aidan shot Moody a slightly angry look. "Well, you cannot really blame her, Alastor. The woman hasn't slept for days and yet she's still running this whole place to make sure everyone is taken care of. She was also the one who found Severus passed out on the grounds and brought him back here."

Harry tried not to grin too much as he observed that both Aidan and Madame Pomfrey possessed the courage to speak with Mad-Eye like this. It probably had something to do with the fact that no one dared to correct Medi-witches or Surgeons, for they were right most of the time.

"But he will be alright?" Asked Hermione hopefully.

"Yes, he will most certainly be. We gave him a sleeping potion, to make sure he gets enough rest. His injuries were quite severe after all – Phoenix tears or not. And he has to be under constant supervision from the hospital staff – hence the handcuffing to the bed," Dan answered with a grin.

"I need to speak with him." Harry stated suddenly.

The healer nodded. "You can visit him as soon as he feels up to it. Though I cannot tell you how long it will take."

"Thanks, Dan, " was the relieved answer.

Hermione and Ron gave him understanding looks. They knew how important it was for him to sort things out between them; especially after Harry had seen the memories about the potions master and his mother.

Harry then stood up and looked at Ginny.

"Do you mind to come with me for some time? There is someone else I need to speak to."

"Of course I'll come."

Before Harry could say anything, Aidan spoke. "Don't worry, Harry, I'll inform you the moment Severus wakes up."

Harry nodded again, grateful. "Thanks, again."

And with that he grabbed Ginny's hand and walked out of the Great Hall to the front gates – or rather the remains of the gates – and they vanished.

.

Once they had reached their destination, Ginny looked around to see where Harry had taken them.

"It's the graveyard of Godric's Hollow," Harry explained. "I – I have to see my parent's grave. Hermione and I discovered it last Christmas. But we couldn't stay for too long."

Ginny gave him a sad smile. "Now you have all the time you need, Harry." She said and they walked in silence, hand in hand on the small way, leading to their destination.

Just as they reached the last corner, they heard a soft voice and Ginny and Harry stopped immediately to see a cloaked figure already standing in front of the grave they were looking for.

"He did it, Lily! He really did it! You would have been so proud of him! ... I know I am!"

The words were spoken so soft and gentle, that Harry and Ginny decided to remain hidden behind some big bushes.

From their position they couldn't see the figure's face, but from the voice and the curves of the cloak - which was pretty torn and bloody at some places - the couple could tell it was a woman.

In order not to disturb her and maybe gain some more information, they tried to listen closely to every word the woman said.

"It's so terrible how many lives we lost today," she continued in a sad voice "Remus, our last Maurauder's gone, and so is Tonks. Luckily Andromeda is taking care of the poor little Teddy... It's so sad that he has lost his parents at this young age. And Fred Weasley, one of Mollys twins."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other; surprised at how much this woman knew. And even though she wasn't aware of Fred's new ghostly reappearance, she was quite well informed about what was going on at Hogwarts.

Now she bent down on her knees and conjured a nice little bunch of flowers in front of the graves.

Harrys heart warmed up as he recognized the flowers: lilies. Then he felt Ginny's hand on his shoulder, offering him comfort.

"Oh Lil, I miss you so much," she said and Harry was sure he saw a single little teardrop falling to the ground. And with each passing minute he got to like this woman more and more.

"Máthair does, too. I cannot even imagine how Harry must fell right now."

At these words Harry's eyes went wide. This woman apparently knew him! But then again - who didn't these days?

"I feel so terrible, L. He went through so much in his life, and he did it all by himself. I'm just so glad he had Ron and Hermione with him, and now dear Ginny."

At this point Ginny got even more curious as well, and she too developed a feeling of sympathy for the woman.

Harry also noticed that the woman was apparently used to call his mother 'Lil' and 'L'. _They must have been close enough to call each other by a nickname._

"Merlin knows, he's got James talent to get himself in trouble to last decades!"

Harry just smirked at Ginny, but he was still astonished how much she knew about his parents. Maybe he should get up and just ask her if -

But Ginny seemed to guess what he was thinking and she hit him with her elbow and sent him a look, clearly telling him not to move.

 _She's righ,_ Harry thought. He could, and would in any case, ask her about his parents. He waited long enough, so a couple of minutes more wouldn't hurt.

The woman slowly got up again and starred down on the grave.

Now Harry could see that her robes were really torn apart and on some points he spotted big amounts of blood on them. So she apparently fought in the final battle as well.

"I failed him, Lil, and I failed you," Harry could hear the desperation in her voice and he immediately fell sorry for the woman, even if he didn't know what exactly she was talking about.

"I promised you to take care of him. I promised you to do everything in my powers to keep him safe. He led a terrible life with his awful relatives and I couldn't do a thing. Damn this blood protection!"

Harry's eyes widened in shock. _How could she possibly know about the blood protection? Maybe she was a member of the Order of the Phoenix…_

Well, she apparently did have a pretty close relationship with his mother, but the more he wondered about the promise she gave her.

"He doesn't even know who I am... I never had the chance to tell him, it was just too dangerous to even talk to him. But all the times I watched him, I could see how much he needed someone he could trust! Before, and especially after Sirius' death..."

The mention of his godfather made Harrys heart ache with pain.

"She watched you?" Ginny whispered with big eyes.

Harry hadn't thought about that yet. _She watched me all those years and I never noticed? She really must care about me… but why never telling me?_

He was about to reply when the woman spoke again.

"Now the war is over I'm able to tell him…"

 _Tell me what?_ Harry thought desperately.

"But I'm not really sure if I should… it seems my Gryffindor courage is failing me… He deserves to now, but I think he's so grown up by now he won't need me anyways…"

Harry could hear her voice was full of grieve and regret.

"Honestly, I'm a little afraid to tell him, Lily. I couldn't bare seeing disappointment, anger or hurt in his green eyes… I love him too much to be able to see this sort of pain."

Harry was starring at her, frozen. _She loves me?_ His heart was beating faster and he was getting more and more exited with each passing minute.

"And to make matters even worse, Harry's got every right to hate or abandon me!" she whispered and more tears were falling to the ground now. "Let's face it, Lil - I'm a terrible godmother!"

With that, she turned around and with one last glance at the grave, and apparated away.

.

To say Harry was shocked was a huge understatement.

His legs felt like jelly and he leant heavily on Ginny to prevent himself from falling.

 _He really had a godmother?_

Ginny herself didn't know what to say, so she just squeezed Harrys hand with her own, trying to offering him comfort.

"This woman is my _godmother_?" Harry asked again, this time aloud.

All Ginny could do was nod in agreement.

Harry looked into her eyes.

"I… I'm so confused, Gin. I can't believe that no one ever told me I have a godmother. It feels like – I don't even know what I feel for Merlin's sake!" He said, anger clearly visible on his face, and stood up, pacing in front of his parents grave, trying to sort out all the things in his head.

"Honestly, Harry, I think not a lot of people knew about this," Ginny said, also kind of lost in her own thoughts.

"Why would you think that?" He asked, confusion taking over the angry expression on his face.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. All I can tell you is that it seems to me like she really cares for you, Harry. She clearly wanted to tell you, and she was blaming herself for your horrible time with the Dursleys."

Harry was silent. He hadn't thought about it that way…

"She said she watched you all the time," Ginny continued, "and just because you never saw or talked to her, doesn't mean she was never close to you."

"She was close to my mother," Harry added.

"I think so, too. Therefore I am convinced she must have had her reasons for not telling you."

Harry sighed and knelt down in front of his parent's grave, like the woman – no, his _godmother_ , he corrected himself – did a couple of minutes before him.

"She said she loves me," he said, without taking his eyes of the grave, tears falling down his face.

Ginny put her arms around him, holding him close.

"Yes, I really think she does."

For several minutes, neither of them spoke a word. Both were lost in their own thoughts.

Then Ginny stood up slowly, giving Harry a kiss on his forehead and whispered, "I think you might want to be alone with them. I'll wait at the for you over there. Take all the time you need."

She squeezed his fingers once more, then walked over to a nearby bench.

Harry took a deep breath.

"You were very close, weren't you, Mum? I'm glad you had someone to rely on. I love you."

He also conjured a single lily and placed it next to the others. Then he walked back to Ginny.

"Harry, I know it is probably a lot to take in, but – I think she deserves a second chance… Could you at least think about forgiving her?" Ginny asked, looking at him with her big brown eyes.

Harry took her hand in his and took a deep breath.

"There's no need to think about it," he whispered, his voice full of emotion, "I have already forgiven her."

"You have?" Ginny sounded surprised.

Harry nodded, a smal smile on his face. "Surprisingly, yes. I have a lot of questions, but in the end I came to the conclusion that I _have_ a godmother now. We already spent all those years apart – which apparently was quite difficult on her, too – and I don't want to waste anymore time."

Ginny smiled and kissed him. "I'm glad. She seemed to be so really nice."

"I know. And how do the muggle say? Better late than never, right? There is one problem however."

She looked confused. "And what might that be?"

He took her hand and held her close, ready to go back to Hogwarts. "Well, for starters, I have absolutely no idea who she really is or where to find her," he said and a second later they vanished in the air.


	4. A rather one-sided conversation

**A.N.: Hi! I honestly don't know what to say!**

 **It's just lovely how many more followers this story got since I updated the last chapter!**

 **Thank you so much! I still hope that you don't have too much trouble reading it, considering my use of grammar and spelling etc...**

 **I also spent most of my day trying to write this next chappie, but I don't really know if it's good or not. (it's a little dark and all...) It might also be a little confusing, but I didn't want to give to much away to keep it interesting...**

 **As alway, I hope you enjoy reading it, and tell me what you think! :** _ **)**_

 **All the best, Lexi  
**

* * *

 **A rather one-sided conversation  
**

* * *

The old man felt his feet touch the ground. His black robes still swirling around, he took a deep breath, sucking in the stale air. He sighed. Destination, determination, deliberation. Then he shook his head, laughing. _'The three D's'._

 _Even back in the days textbook writers thought all those dunderheads would remember things easier by choosing words beginning with the same letter. Pathetic._

Though he was one of the view who were able to resist the more than embarrassing habit of vomiting after each apparition, he had to admit that after all those years he had forgotten about the slight feeling of dizziness that came along with this certain way of transportation.

 _Well, I've got enough time now to get used to it again_ , he supposed and brushed of the last remains of dirt from his robes and out of his grey hair – _why in the name of Merlin do they_ always _have to hold their meetings in dirty and dark forests?_

He took of his cloak and put it over a nearby chair as he walked further into the room. His so called destination had been a small apartment in Diagon Alley, which he assumed must have cost quite a fortune some time ago. But, war and time apparently didn't only take their tolls on people.

It did indeed look like the placed had not been used in many years, judging by the layers of dust on tables, chairs and unbelievable small bookshelves. Ridiculous pictures of fat cats were hung up on the walls, which were painted in the same bright pink color as the carpet on the floor.

It wasn't his taste at all, but the stupid woman told him herself – in her annoying high pitched voice – that she had barely ever used it and would probably never come back.

The man smiled. _She didn't even realize what a mistake it was to tell me about this place_. The pink-loving woman would never suspect him to take over her little home for the time being. _Actually no one ever will._ Of course, it would probably take him some time to get used to all the pink _– and the annoying creatures in the pictures -_ but besides that, it was a real improvement.

Especially in comparison to the bloody forest and his earlier establishments - _where_ everyone _expects me to be._

The old man walked across the room and opened another _– pink –_ door and stepped happily into the next chamber. With a wave of his right hand, the fire in the chimney lit on and the room lightened up.

"I do apologize for my tardiness, my friend, but I never expected this little come-together to last so long," he explained, sat down on another _– pink –_ chair and looked at the brown-greyish haired man sitting on the opposite end.

He waved his hand again and a candle appeared on the table, the light reflecting in the other man's eyes.

"Ah, yes, that's better. Every table looks so much nicer with a beautiful little candle on it _– even a pink one –_ what do you think?" He asked.

The other man nodded in agreement.

Apparently pleased with his previous work, the old wizard made another movement with his hand – though this time it was his left – and a bottle of wine accompanied by two fitting glasses came flying out of a nearby shelf and floated to both men at the table.

He poured the same amount of the red liquid into both glasses, placed one of them in front of his guest and began to drink the other one himself.

When the old man looked up from his now empty glass, he noticed that the other man didn't even try to touch his drink. Instead his face showed a rather longing expression.

"Oh, I forgot. I couldn't believe it when I first heard the news, but now I see it for myself. Yes, you quit drinking after you were forced into – _what did they call it again?_ – early retirement, didn't you?" He nodded again.

"What a shame. The wine is really good. But I assume you already know that. You were the one who gave it to our dearest pink-loving lady in the first place. You really did make an impression on her! She wouldn't stop telling me about you and how much she adored you…"

Now the slightly younger man slowly closed his eyes, groaning. Despite the age difference between the two, the younger man had almost the same amount of wrinkles on his face. And even though the old man's dark hair was coloured grey by now, the younger one's was already streaked.

"Yes, I know exactly how you feel. It is quite tiring listening to her. I still don't quite understand how you managed to have this kind of working relationship with her for so many years." The old man spoke, shaking his head. "But on the other hand, you've known our _'little Miss Pinkie'_ since your own years at Hogwarts, haven't you?"

The old wizard poured himself another glass of wine.

"But let's get to the important things. I am sure you are quite interested in the outcome of our little _meeting_ earlier."

Though it wasn't really a question, he received a nod in agreement again.

Smiling, the old wizard continued. "Well, it was less difficult than I expected. Fascinating, really, how easy it is to manipulate people when you know their weakness. The information you gave me were most appreciated. I suspected them to be at odds with each other, but I was not aware of the pure hate and outrageous jealousy our dear _Pinkie_ has against her target. So I made sure she had enough _'backup'_ which should give her a feeling of safety."

The other man looked confused.

"Don't give me that look. You were the one who told me that our _'Pinkie'_ wanted to eliminate her _'persona non grata'_ years ago, but all her attempts were unsuccessful! You also mentioned that she was too much of a coward to confront _her_ on her own."

He continued when he saw the confirming, but hesitant nod. "Therefore I gathered a few people who were rater – _what's the best way to call it? –_ yes, _surprised_ to see me again. And after a persuading speech and some demonstrations of my quite professional and advanced magical abilities, they agreed instantly and offered their assistance."

The eyes of his guest went wide.

The old wizard grinned. "Oh yes, I am sure you ask yourself now why I would do such things. Helping a woman gain followers who – except a few of them – only play along because of me?" His grinned even wider now. "Well, you assume correct. I want her to end up fighting alone and of course, loose in the process! Like I said to our little _Miss Pinkie_ before, I have my own purposes for her target and I need the witch alive."

His dark, almost black eyes began to sparkle with excitement when he saw that his guest looked more and more confused with each passing minute.

"Yes, but why giving her a cursed and consequently deadly knife then, you might ask?" He continued after the confirming nod. "Well, the answer is quite simple. This whole plan has only one purpose: Time. I have to admit, that I am not in quite the shape I once was. This knife never misses its target. It won't kill her, but a lot of damage will be done and the recovery will take some time. Until then I will - hopefully - have prepared all I need to act on my actual plan to get what I want."

Laughing, he was getting up and walking to the door. Before he reached it he turned around to face his guest once more.

"Once again, I thank you for your _cooperation_. And please, you should consider yourself happy! Even though it was a rather one- sided conversation on my part, I really enjoyed it! And contrary to most people who have a little chat with me, you are still alive, Cornelius!"

This said, the old wizard vanished into the dark, leaving nothing but a slightly bleeding and half unconscious Cornelius Fudge behind; tied and gagged up on his chair at the end of the pink table.


	5. Affairs of the heart

_**A.N.: Hi everyone!**_

 _ **Again, thanks to all of you who fav/followed this story! Did I mention it makes me really happy? :)**_

 _ **Ok, here's the next chappie and as always, I hope you like it! I would really love to get some more reviews to hear what you think about it so far!**_

 _ **All the best, Lexi  
**_

* * *

 **Affairs of the heart**

* * *

"So, what are you planning to do now?" Ginny asked once they reappeared near the Hogwarts front gates.

Harry sighed.

"I'm not sure, Gin. On the one hand I really want to find my _godmother_ ," he smiled at the word, "on the other hand, I don't want to bother everyone by asking too many questions and - "

"Harry." Ginny cut him off, smiled and gently touched his face with her hand. "I can promise you that everyone will be eager to help you. If it makes you feel better, you don't have to inform the whole wizarding world, only tell a few of your friends about her. Besides, you saved all of us. You deserve some happiness, too, you know."

"If you say so." He smiled, took her hand in his and kissed her cheek.

Hand in hand the couple walked back to the castle, enjoying each other's company.

"Ooohhh looky looky, what do we have here? Sneaking away from everyone to have some _private_ time alone, are we?" Sounded a laughing voice through the corridors.

Harry and Ginny spun around, letting go of each other's hand instantly.

"Fred!" Ginny said exasperated, "stop doing this! You have been a ghost for less than two days and you are already getting on my nerves!"

Fred, who seemed to enjoy this immensely, laughed even more. Harry noticed that only his head was visible, the rest of his body still stuck inside the wall he had been floating through.

"But this is just too much fun! And I promised dad to keep an eye on everything and everyone, especially you, sister dearest!" He said and blew her a kiss with his ghostly hand. "To make sure you behave."

Both Ginny and Harry blushed.

"If you keep an eye on _everything_ , then tell us, did we miss anything important while we were gone?" The redhead asked, clearly trying to change the topic.

"Nothing special, really. Snape, sorry _Professor_ Snape still hasn't joined the world of conscious wizards, Hermione and our little Ronnikins were snogging in one of the old broom closets, Adian's taking a break at the table again and – "

"Ron and Hermione were snogging in a broom closet?!" Harry and Ginny shouted at the same time, starring at the ghost with wide eyes.

"Yes, caught them myself!" The ghost said with pride in his voice. "They looked quite flushed, and even a little embarrassed, can't imagine why though…"

"Of course you can't," Ginny grumbled so only Harry could hear it and he smirked.

They continued their walk, trying to ignore ghost-Fred following them, and entered the Great Hall again when they heard another voice.

.

"Mr. Weasley, may I have your attention for a moment?" The voice sounded stern, but Harry also detected a trace of exhaustion in it.

He turned around and saw Professor McGonagall coming towards them.

Aidan was right, she really didn't look good. She had dark circles under her usually vibrant emerald green eyes, her black robes were messed up and a few strands of her usually tied up ebony hair fell loose from its bun. Contrary to everyone else, she apparently didn't even rest for a single second since the end of the battle.

"Yes, Professor, like always, you'll have my full cooperation!" Fred said, brought his hand to his head and saluted to the approaching witch.

Said witch clearly tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she looked up at the ghost and shook her head.

"I am glad you enjoy your new – _lifestyle –_ Mr. Weasley. Now, considering the order given by your father to keep an eye on everyone, I am sure you could help me find Doctor Gold? " She looked at him expectantly.

Fred's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, he finished his check-up round and sat down on the big table at the end of this hall. But how did you know I said – "

"Let me give you some piece of advice – _Mr. Weasley, wasn't it?_ Always be careful what you say when an animagus is around. They don't just hear a lot they are not supposed to hear, they also tend to get very edgy when they are overworked. Especially cats."

.

Harry had just noticed him, though he apparently had been here the whole time.

Next to Professor McGonagall stood a tall man in dark blue wizarding robes, also slightly torn apart and worn out. Harry assumed he had to be around the same age his transfiguration Professor was, considering the fact that his - what he assumed to be once brown - hair was now streaked with grey.

The most amazing thing was that his eyes had the colour of a light silver grey, something Harry had never seen before.

Ginny, too stared at the wizard. She, however was less amazed by the colour of his eyes but more by the way he dared to speak about their Professor.

Fred stared at the silver eyed man, a broad smile making its way over his face. "Thank you, Sir, these information are most appreciated! It seems to me you have quite the humerous side... You don't happen to know something about _"The greatest Book of Jokes"_ written by _Jonathan Giggles_ , do you? It is supposed to be – "

" - hidden somewhere in the restricted section of the library. Yes, I have indeed heard about that particular book, but unfortunately – "

" _Unfortunately_ ," Professor McGonagall interrupted, "the library is unavailable at the moment and - like most of the rooms of the castle - burried underneath a tonne of rocks."

Both men, well, one man and one ghost, looked quite disappointed.

"Oh, come on now, you old wizard! Leave the mischief to the actual pranksters," the transfiguration mistress continued to everyone's surprise.

"Was that an invitation to make trouble, Professor?" Fred asked excited.

Harry, Ginny and the elderly wizard looked at the emerald green eyed witch. Her mouth twitched and a small smile appeared on her face. "Not trouble, Mr. Weasley. But in these times we all need something that can make us smile once in a while."

They all stared at her open mouthed. "Awesome, Professor!"

"Now, we really need to see Aidan. Are you two coming with us?" She directed the question at Harry and Ginny.

"Yes, Professor, that was our intention."

"Then come along. And for the record, I am neither edgy nor overworked," she said the last to her companion, who gave a small chuckle, then took her arm and guided her to the table.

"Whatever you say, Min."

Smirking at each other, Harry, Ginny and a floating Fred followed their Professor and her friend.

The people on the table were almost the same as before. Apparently Slughorn had left and the only new addition was apparently Neville's grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. Harry had only seen her once on a picture his friend had shown him; and of course he still remembered the Boggart lesson in his third year, when Professor Snape stepped out of the cupboard, dressed with the same ridiculous head the witch was wearing right now.

But before either of them could say a word, Moody jumped up from his chair – the best way he could considering his leg – and pointed his finger at Professor McGonagall.

"Where you ever going to tell us that Snape's alive, Minerva?"

The transfiguration mistress waved her hand, causing Moody to forcefully sit back on his seat again.

"It appears to me that you are already perfectly well informed; so stop fussing around Alastor," she snapped.

Moody's magic eye rotated like crazy and one could see that he was about to get up again, when Aidan once again flashed him a look.

"We already talked about this, Moody, there is nothing more to say."

Moody still looked angry, but he seemed to be calming down. Aidan turned his attention to the newly approached group.

"Good. Now, why don't you all take a seat?"

Professor McGonagall shot Moody one last glare, then sat down along with Ginny and Harry. When her friend remained standing behind her chair, she looked at him questionably.

"Are you planning on standing there the whole time, Xemerius?" The witch asked with a smirk.

The silvery-eyed wizard shook his hand, smiling slightly. "Ah, you know me, Min... The old knee's causing trouble again."

"Tell me when it gets worse, I can give you a potion that might help," Aidan pointed out.

Hermione looked at Xemerius with new found interest. "Excuse me, Sir, I don't want to be rude, but who are you?"

Instead of Xemerius, Professor McGonagall answered. "I do apologize for not introducing him earlier, Miss Granger. This is one of my oldest and most trusted friends, Xemerius Brooks; we have known each other since our first year at Hogwarts."

Hermione's eyes widened. "As in _Professor_ Brooks? The expert on muggle studies and Headmaster of the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America?"

Xemerius grinned at the young witch. "I see my reputation precedes me."

"Is it really true that the school is hidden on top of Mount Greylock?" Hermione got more and more excited with each passing minute.

And even Harry had to admit that he wanted to know more about Xemerius. He seemed to have a really funny side for holding such a high position in the best magic school in the United States.

"Yes, but it sounds more exciting than it really is." Was the swift reply. "It's like getting a new school book. Exciting at first, but really annoying when you have to study the contents."

"Of course you would say that, Xem! You were never really fond of books. I remember you didn't touch your divination book once back in school!" Augusta Longbottom laughed.

"Oh honestly, Augusta, no one ever read that thing," Xemerius grinned. "Not even Min. She only brought it to class to transfigure it into a pillow to be more comfortable during the lesson."

Everyone stared at the transfiguration mistress. She turned around to face her silver eyed friend, trying to give him her famous death glare, but failed when she saw the boyish grin on his face and decided to hit him playfully in the stomach instead, smiling.

"You really had to mention that?"

"Well, it was either that or the fact that most of the time we skipped the class anyways. Ah, now I told that, too! My, silly me!" He grinned even more when he saw his friend bury her head in her hands, trying to ignore the laugher around her.

When everyone was able to breathe normal again, Professor McGonagall looked at Aidan.

"Now, the actual reason I came here is because I need to show you something," she said and put her hand into the pocket of her cloak, searching for something.

Aidan sighed, and looked from one Professor to the other.

"And here I really thought Xem managed to get you to take a break for some time."

Xemerius shrugged. "Hey, I gave my best. You try it and convince this stubborn witch to rest."

Professor McGonagall, who apparently found what she was looking for, interrupted the two men.

"I am not stubborn and I will rest when my work is done. Now, would you please do me a favor and take a look at this poor thing? Xemerius and I found it when we came back from examining the quiddtch pitch – or rather what's left of it..."

She took her hands out of her cloak and Harry could see that she placed a small bat on the table, which – to everyone's surprise - didn't even try to escape.

"I think it's got a broken wing. I know you don't usually treat animals, but Poppy told me you finished your check-up round, so – "

Aidan smiled. "Don't worry; I don't think there is such a great difference between healing these and human bones. I'll take care of it."

Professor McGonagall smiled back at him, patted him on the shoulder and prepared to stand up from her chair. "Thank you, dear."

"I have, however, one condition." He looked at her expectantly.

"And what would that be?"

"You stay here for another 30 minutes and relax."

The transfiguration Professor seemed to consider it for a moment, then sighed and sat down again. "Fine."

Harry saw Aiden smile triumphantly and Xemerius gave him a thumb up.

.

"Can we name it?" Luna asked suddenly "I really think every animal deserves a name and it is way nicer than always calling it ' _the bat'."_

Everyone at the table smiled, Professor McGonagall included.

 _Leave it to Luna to lighten up the mood in every situation,_ Harry thought.

"I am open to suggestions, Miss Lovegood," the emerald witch replied and looked at the blonde girl.

Luna seemed to think for a moment. " _Batty._ I think we should call it _Batty."_

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Well, then Batty it is."

Luna beamed at her and Xemerius smirked; then patted his friend happily on her shoulder. "Congratulations, Min, it looks like you just got yourself a new pet!"

This said everyone broke into laugher again.

Harry turned to Mrs. Longbottom, curiosity getting the better of him. "Are these two always like this?"

"Xemerius and Minerva?" She asked. "Oh yes, they have been playing cat and mouse for years. Literally."

Harry had to hold back his laugher when he remembered that his Professor's animagus from was indeed a cat.

But his smile sadly didn't last long; it appeared as soon as it came.

The remains of the doors to the Great Hall were blown open. A mass of people dressed in black robes stormed in, wands in their hands, ready to attack.

.

Professor McGonagall reacted faster than Harry could think.

She flicked her wand and in what appeared to be a smooth combination of complex spells, she had everyone – witches, wizards, injured people lying in hospital beds and even Batty - levitated to the back of the hall within seconds and protected with a shield charm around them.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded to know, standing alone in the middle of the hall; facing the intruders.

Harry as well as his friends tried to get through the shield charm, but every attempt failed.

He could hear Xemerius cursing next to him. "Damn it, Minerva! Let us in there you bloody stubborn witch! You're getting yourself killed!"

For the first time since Harry had met the elderly wizard, he could see fear written in his silver eyes and also another expression he couldn't really place.

"I won't ask again, what the _bloody hell_ is going on?" The transfiguration mistress cursed in a scottish accent, her wand ready in her hand.

"As I can see, you still have trouble controlling your temper, Minerva," sounded a somehow familiar, high pitched voice from the middle of the black crowd.

When the people in the first row of the mass stepped aside, Harry couldn't believe his eyes when he saw whom the voice belonged to.

Her wand pointed directly at Professor McGonagall, dressed in a ridiculous pink dress and wearing a - what seemed to be slightly burned - pink velvet bow in her hair, stood one _Dolores Jane Umbridge_ , laughing hysterically.

.

Aidan's eyes widened in shock, several people paled instantly and Xemerius tried to break through the shield once again. "Minerva, let us in!"

Professor McGonagall didn't look at him when she spoke, her angry emerald eyes fixed on the pink toad in front of her.

"No, Xem. I refuse let anyone else get hurt tonight. She's here for me. This is my fight."

Umbridge laughed even more. "I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time."

"I'm sure you have..." she said almost casually.

Harry could see that Xemerius closed his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath.

"Look around, Minerva," Umbridge laughed again and waved at the mass of people standing behind her.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a person who kills an eleven year old girl without _any_ magical education instead of coming after me yourself," she snapped, her eyes cold with anger and her body shaking.

"She did _what_?" Hermione asked, shocked.

Xemerius sighed, a sad look in his eyes. "This is not the right time for that story…"

"I see you're still not over your little sister's most _unfortunate_ death… but, well, if it makes you feel any better... you'll join her soon," the toad laughed again, her followers doing the same and Harry felt sick.

He also observed that his Professor didn't show _any_ kind of fear regarding the amount of wands pointed at her.

"Well, allow me to have some doubts, considering that all your previous attempts to kill me worked out so perfectly. You know, I am quite surprised you didn't tell your little black guys over there to attack the castle in the middle of the night."

"Merlin's beard, that's not right the time for sarcasm Min!" Xemerius shouted exasperated.

Harry turned around and gave his friends a confused look.

Judging by their facial expressions they didn't have any clue about what was going on either. Hermione continued to watch the scene playing out in front of them, standing there motionless, almost like stunned.

Then it hit him like a broomstick on his head, and he remembered something Madam Pomfrey told him years ago. ' _I don't wonder you're shocked, Potter, as if one of them could have stunned Minerva McGonagall face-on by daylight! Cowardice, that's what it was… despicable cowardice.'_

"The stunners!" Harry exclaimed, looking shocked at Xemerius. "It was a planned attack!"

The silver eyed wizard gave a grim nod. "Yes, and it wasn't the first."

Harry was about to reply when he suddenly heard one single word, that caused him to stop dead in his tracks and get goosebumps all over his body.

" _Attack!"_ Umbridge shouted in her terribly high voice and sent her curse flying directly at Professor McGonagall.

.

To Harry's and probably everyone else's relieve she immediately blocked the spell with a flick of her wand. Within seconds, she had the first row of black guys disarmed and with just a wave of her hand she sent them flying against the castle walls; knocking them out all at once.

Harry, completely astonished by the skills his transfiguration Professor showed, heard Xemerius releasing the breath he apparently had been holding and a small smile made its way over his face.

"The bloody woman hasn't lost her touch," the silvery-eyed wizard said, shaking his head. Even Aidan chuckled when he heard that.

The duel went on for what Harry felt were hours.

Curses were sent in every direction, even causing the shield charm Professor McGonagall had set up earlier to crack slightly.

Harry watched his Professor in amazement. He knew she was a great witch, but now he could really see why she was considered to be the most powerful witch in the whole wizarding world.

She moved so fast to avoid several hexes flying towards her direction, one would think she was not a day older than thirty.

Apparently Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the others couldn't believe it either, for they were observing the scene wide eyed and open mouthed; with their hands pressed against the shield and unable to move.

Then it happened; they all saw it like the scene was played in slow motion, unable to do anything.

"Watch out, Professor!" Fred had shouted, but it was too late.

The transfiguration mistress efficiently sent counter-spells against the curses coming toward her from the front. What she hadn't seen was the spell directed at her from the side and Harry watched in shock as Umbridge's spell hit her unexpectedly, causing her to fly backwards and crash against her own protection charm in front of Harry and the others.

"No!" Aidan and Xemerius exclaimed at the same time when they saw their friend lying on the ground and Harry bristled with anger when he noticed that Umbridge was laughing like a happy little school girl.

"Game over, Minerva," she turned around to her followers. "Hogwarts will be ours!"

At the sight of his friend, Xemerius' legs gave in and he dropped to his knees. Arthur took a crying Molly in his arms, Hermione and Ginny had tears streaming down her face, Aidan slowly closed his eyes.

Harry – who in a way had always thought of the black haired, emerald eyed witch as some kind of grandmother – stared at the body lying in front of them, frozen in shock.

"Hold on a second," Xemerius whispered suddenly. "The protection charm... It didn't vanish!"

And all of a sudden, the witch on the ground moved.

She flicked her wand and daggers of fire shot towards her attackers; only missing Umbridge herself and some black guys standing too far away.

The emerald eyed witch slowly got up, pain clearly written on her face. Blood dropped from an open wound at her head as well as her chest. She wordlessly summoned a stick lying around and leaned heavily on it.

"She's probably got a heavy concussion, wounded chest and a broken leg," Aidan mumbled to himself, looking concerned as concerned as Xemerius and Harry. "And she's using much more magic than she should..."

"You want to give it another try, Dolores?" The transfiguration mistress asked, breathing heavily, "though I do have to admit that this was your best attempt so far!"

Xemerius rolled his eyes at her and had it been a less dangerous situation, Harry might have laughed.

.

Then he heard one small _'pop'_ after another and he looked around, trying to figure out what it was.

"It seems your little group is letting you down, Dolores," Professor McGonagall pointed out and Harry could see it too now.

One after another, the attackers disapparated and vanished from the hall.

"What do you think you're doing? Attack her!" Umbridge exclaimed furious.

"You can't make us! You never told us we were going up against _her_ in the first place!" One of the remaining men shouted.

Harry noticed that he sounded scared and insecure and he couldn't help but smile a little. _You have every right to be scared_ , he thought.

"This doesn't have anything to do with revenge for our fallen master. We're done here," this said he vanished; the other ones mirroring his actions immediately, leaving the pink toad alone in the middle.

Furious, she raised her wand, aimed it at the Professor and shouted "Avada Ked-"

But this time Professor McGonagall was faster. "Expelliarmus," was all she said, disarming Umbridge and with another wave of her hand, a broken chair transformed into a thick rope, which she securely tied around Umbridge's feet and shoulders.

Then, the transfiguration mistress took in a deep breath and limped towards her angry, tied up enemy, and picked up her wand.

"This is not over, Minerva," the pink toad shouted, and Harry couldn't imagine why she smiled.

"I think it is," was the cold reply.

Before anyone else could say anything, Harry could see another figure in dark robes entering the great hall from the side that wasn't protected by the charm.

"What in Merlin's name happened here?" The voice of a younger woman asked, clearly worried and Harry's heart skipped a beat when he recognized the soft voice of the woman.

.

Professor McGonagall looked at her and sighed in relieve; apparently lucky it wasn't someone else trying to attack the castle but she didn't answer the question.

Harry on the other hand turned around sharply, looking at Ginny with wide eyes. He didn't even notice that Aidan and Xemerius, too, sighed in relieve at the woman's appearance.

"It's her, Gin!" He exclaimed excited.

"Who?" Ron asked confused.

"None of your concern, Ron!" Ginny snapped at her brother, before taking Harry's hand in hers. "Yes, Harry, I recognized her, too!"

Xemerius banged against the shield again. "Damn it, Minerva, lower that bloody charm and let us in for Merlin's sake," he cursed.

"What?" The transfiguration mistress asked confused, turned her attention away from the woman and looked at her friend when she remembered.

"Oh, I apologize, Xem," and with yet another wave of her hand she undid the _protego-maxima_ charm.

Harry was the first to make a move, grabbed Ginny's hand and began to walk straight towards Professor McGonagall, Umbridge and the woman.

"You know Minerva, I realize I may never be able to kill you. But causing you pain is far more enjoyable anyway. " Umbridge said in her high pitched voice and started laughing again. "And there is no better way to hurt you than killing one of your precious students."

The next things happened in split seconds. Harry saw too late that the toad somehow managed to wordlessly summon a small knife from one of her pockets and threw it directly towards him.

Professor McGonagall screamed something and the last thing Harry remembered was a swirl of black robes in front of his eyes, knocking him to the ground.

.

"Harry!" Ginny, Hermione and Ron screamed at the same time, running towards him with Xemerius and Aidan following them.

"Potter! Are you alright?" Professor McGonagall asked, white as a sheet of paper, as she rushed to his side as fast as she could ignoring the pain from her head injury and broken leg.

Harry slowly got up, coughing hard. He had hid his head during the fall, but apart from that nothing hurt.

"I – I'm fine Professor," the young wizard said, his voice shaking. "She - She pushed me out of the way," he pointed at the woman lying next to him.

"Harry…" The woman's voice was nothing more than a soft whisper. She had one hand over her chest and when she tried to move, Harry grabbed her arm; trying to steady her.

"S…Sorry," she whispered, breathing heavily and looking at both Harry and Professor McGonagall with a pair of beautiful bright blue eyes.

The black haired witch moved closer, laid a supporting arm around the woman and looked her up and down; concern clearly written in her emerald eyes.

"Dear, what are you talking abou – No!" She exclaimed and her eyed widened in shock; her whole body began to shake.

Harry also moved to get a better look and he saw the reason for Professor McGonagall's shock.

"I – I wasn't f-fast e-enough – " The blue-eyed witch stuttered.

Harry first looked utterly confused, then he saw it: Blood - a lot of blood - was coming through from under the hand she had placed over her chest.

Then her eyes closed, her head fell backwards against the transfiguration mistress' body.

With the last energy she could muster, she moved her now bloody hand to reveal Umbridges' knife that was stuck in her chest; only inches away from the woman's heart.

Harry's eyes filled with tears.

 _His godmother's heart._


	6. Medical skills, or lack there-of

_**Hi everyone! I know, I know, it felt like ages since I last updated! I'm really sorry for that but I had some kind of a writers block and somehow this chappie didn't want to be written. Anyway, a big thank you to all of you who fav/followed the story! As always, I hope you like it and please let me know what you think!**_

 _ **Yours, Book of Hope**_

Phoenix Blood – Chapter 5: Medical skills, or lack thereof

Harry couldn't move. He couldn't even speak anymore. He was frozen in shock, unable to do anything. Tears were freely falling from his eyes, flowing down his cheeks, but he didn't care. He barely realized Ron, Hermione and Ginny running towards them to stand next to him, followed closely by Xemerius and Aidan. Or Moody, who walked straight to Umbridge and with a flick of his wand put a thick iron chain around her. All Harry could do was stare at the scene enfolding in front of him. He watched, completely horrified, as Professor McGonagall, white as a sheet of paper and hands shaking, reacted within seconds. Whispering some complicated spells Harry had never even heard of, she pressed her thin hands on his godmother's chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. But it didn't work. With each passing second more and more blood spilled from the wound through his teacher's fingers and a pool of dark red blood started to form around the two witches on the ground.

"Minerva!" Xemerius shouted, causing Harry to snap out of his stunned silence. Professor McGonagall however, didn't react at all.

Aidan, who had already transfigured himself a pair of medical gloves, a white lab coat, and a medical bag, knelt down next to the injured witch with a pained expression on his face.

"Merlin, that's way too much blood. Expecto Patronus!" He muttered and a silver fox appeared. "Get Poppy here as soon as possible; tell her it's an emergency level 5."

Harry had no idea what that meant, but as he watched the silver fox head of to find the mediwitch, he knew it wasn't good at all.

"Minerva, get your hands of her immediately." Aidan suddenly ordered in a demanding, but surprisingly calm voice. For a brief moment Harry wondered how and where the young healer learned to gain that kind of authority that everyone listened to what he said. Well, almost everyone. Again, the transfiguration mistress didn't move a single muscle, her small hands still pressed around the knife and her eyes fixed on the unconscious woman lying in front of her, whose head was resting on the Professor's lap.

It was the first time that Harry could take a proper look at his godmother. Her bright blue eyes, which Harry had looked into earlier, were still closed and her long, black hair - though nicely braided in a French twist with only some loose strands – created a frightening contrast to her beautiful, but now ashen face.

"Damn it, Minerva, move! Hang in there, _love_! Xem, I need your help; you know what to do." Aidan said the first to Professor McGonagall; the second to Harry's bleeding godmother and the latter to the silver eyed wizard, who acted without a moment of hesitation. He walked around Professor McGonagall, and Harry watched in amazement as he managed to snatch her wand out of her robes, then wrapped his arms tightly around his friend and tried to drag her away, while muttering a spell that caused a soft pillow to appear under the other woman's head.

"Stop! Aidan – What are you doing?! Let me go, Xemerius!" she screamed desperately, struggling to get out of Xemerius' grip, and a burst of uncontrolled magic shattered one of the windows behind them. "We have to do something or she'll bleed to death!"

Harry was shocked when he saw his teacher. All color was drained from her face, her lips thinner than a line, blood flowing down from her own wound on the forehead and her usually bright emerald green eyes were clouded with unshed tears. But the thing that frightened Harry the most was what he saw in them. Something he had never seen in them before. _Fear._ Not even when she faced Voldemort himself.

As soon as Professor McGonagall's hands had left the body, Aidan replaced them with his own to stop the bleeding.

"I am trying to do my job and therefore I need you to be rational, Minerva! Your hands are way too small to stop a bleed like this! Even mine aren't big enough."

To Harry's horror he was right. Even though less blood spilled through Aidan's bigger hands, it was still too much.

"Furthermore, you are bleeding yourself! I cannot let her get in contact with your blood, it could cause serious infections!" he said and looked at her sternly. Professor McGonagall's eyes widened in shock and she nodded in understanding. Xemerius eased his grip on her and just held her, offering comfort, as they all watched the Healer do his work.

Suddenly Madam Pomfrey came rushing into the hall, pushing a hospital bed in front of her, trying to make her way through the crowd of people that had formed around them. With a sharp "Out of my way, Weasley!" she pushed an open mouthed Ron to the side and when she stopped, the first one she spotted was Harry himself.

"Oh, Potter, I should have known it was you again. "

"Harry's fine. " Xemerius pointed out, causing the mediwitch to turn towards him. "It's – "

"Oh, Merlin!" This time the Mediwitch interrupted him as her eyes fell on Professor McGonagall, who was shaking uncontrollably in her friends arms.

"Heavens, Minerva, look at you! What have you done? Head injured, probably a broken leg and at least four broken ribs! You're soaked in blood! We need to-"

"Poppy -" Professor McGonagall cut in, her voice full of desperation. "Please - Please do something. You – You have to help Dan. She – She – It's Arina! She's bleeding to death, please - please save her!"

Harry and Hermione - and assumingly everyone else - stared at the transfiguration Mistress in shock. Not only because of all her injuries, but for the fact that they had never seen her losing control in front of her students before. Tears fell down her cheeks, her whole body was shaking and without Xemerius' support she probably wouldn't be able to stand on her own anymore.

Madam Pomfrey turned around once more, and her eyes widened as she noticed Aidan and the bleeding witch on the ground. For a short moment she covered her mouth with her hands, suppressing a scream.

"Holy Godric! Hold on, my dear! Aidan, what happened?" she asked Aidan, and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"You see that knife? Barely missed her heart by inches. It won't stop bleeding, so I think it probably hit the aorta. We have to get her off the ground so I can start working. Fast."

Harry and his friends watched in awe as they, with a carefully cast _wingardium leviosa_ , lifted the limp body up and placed her on the hospital bed.

"Wait, you plan on doing this all here?" Madam Pomfrey asked slightly confused, gesturing around the hall and all the people standing around. Harry could see everyone else was thinking the same as the old witch.

"I wouldn't have to if the hospital wing wasn't already otherwise occupied." Aidan snapped.

This answer left the Mediwitch speechless. "But-"

"There's no time!" Aidan said a little edgy.

Harry observed in amazement that he was conjuring all kind of medical things with his wand while his other hand was still pressed on his godmother's chest. He just hoped that Aidan was as good a healer as everyone always said. After all, he couldn't lose his godmother now that he found her!

"I need you to get me some space around here. I'll set up a medical curtain so I won't be disturbed and she'll have at least some kind of privacy. I try to get her more stable, but I need your help to perform an emergency surgery as soon as possible. You'll join me right after you fixed Minerva." Aidan ordered and Madam Pomfrey nodded, turning her attention to Professor McGonagall, who – in Harry's opinion - looked even worse than before.

"Don't you even dare waste your time on me, Poppy! I can fix myself and you bloody well know it!" she snapped to everyone's surprise, before the mediwitch could say a single word.

"Don't be stupid, Minerva! You cannot even stand on your own anymore!" Moody shouted from behind. The Scottish witch shot him an angry glare and in a weak attempt to convince everyone that they were wrong, the transfiguration mistress tried to free herself from her friend's arms and took a step forward. This, however, only proved the opposite and Harry watched horrified as her legs gave in and she almost hit the ground if Xemerius hadn't caught her in time.

"You were saying, Minerva?" Madam Pomfrey snapped in return and rolled her eyes.

The transfiguration mistress looked defeated as she clung to her friend. "Just go! Please! She needs you more than I do!"

"You go, Poppy, I'll look after Min." Xemerius said.

Ignoring Professor McGonagall's weak "I don't need anyone to look after me!" the mediwitch actually started laughing.

"I don't mean to be rude; Xem, but that's completely out of the question! You have always been horrible in healing spells. Worse than Alastor, and that's almost impossible." She shot both men a slightly annoyed look.

Professor McGonagall looked directly at Aidan, who was working constantly, her green eyes pleading with him.

"There's no arguing, Minerva. You're injured, someone skilled needs to-"

"Alright, then please, just let Miss Granger perform the bloody spells. She is more than capable of doing it, right?" she asked, her eyes fixed on Aidan as she gestured with one hand towards Hermione.

The young healer looked at Hermione, who was obviously shocked to hear her favorite Professor suggest something like that.

"You're alright with that, Hermione?" Dan asked his niece concerned.

"I- I think so, yes." Was the somewhat overwhelmed answer. She looked at Professor McGonagall who apparently had accepted that she wouldn't get away without any sort of treatment. The Scottish witch just nodded to Hermione, then fixed her sad and tired emerald eyes on Aidan.

"Dan, please, go get Poppy and stop fussing over me! You – You need to save her. That's all I ask for. Arina's life is worth more than mine and we both know that." Her voice was thick and full of emotion as she sent him a meaningful look, which Aidan apparently understood and he vanished with Madam Pomfrey behind the curtain; the transfiguration mistress on the other hand leant back on her friend with a deep sigh.

As soon as the two of them were gone, people started to talk all at the same time. Harry noticed some of them were still shocked from all the things that happened and sat down on several tables to calm down. Mr. Weasley and Neville helped Augusta Lonbottom up, who had apparently fainted by the sight of so much blood. But before he could look around further, Harry was hugged tightly by Ginny and Hermione, Ron patted him on the shoulder.

"Bloody hell, mate, you're sure you're alright?" he asked concerned.

Harry nodded and stared at the curtain, wondering what was going on behind it. Ginny who had noticed this, kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Don't worry, Harry. Aidan is the best. She'll pull through. She won't leave you."

"I just can't stop thinking – she saved my life! What if she doesn't make it? I mean, I just found her, I - " he couldn't go on.

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, obviously confused.

"Harry, what exactly is going on? Do you know her?" Hermione asked and a lot of people looked at him expectantly.

Harry took a deep breath, trying to prevent new tears from falling down. He had to be strong now; after all he was a Gryffindor.

"Yes – No. I mean – not really." He stuttered.

"Maybe you should try to form a complete sentence for starters, so we could actually understand whatever you were trying to tell us." Said ghost-Fred while he was flying towards Harry.

Harry closed his eyes for a short moment, trying to clear sort out his thoughts, then opened them again and looked at his friends and the people he considered family. He wondered whether he should tell them or not. But then he remembered Ginny's words and decided on the first.

"She – She's my godmother."

A stunned silence followed. Almost everyone stared at him, shocked. Hermione's eyes went wide.

"What? But this is – Oh my goodness! That – That's great, Harry!" she hugged him again.

"Where – I mean, how – I mean, when did you find out?" Neville asked, astonished.

"Neville, for Merlin's sake, don't stutter like that or we won't understand a thing, dear." Augusta Longbottom interrupted, causing even Moody to chuckle.

Harry however gave his friend a sympathetic look and answered his question.

"When Gin and I went to the graveyard in Godric's hollow, she was standing in front of my parent's grave. We overheard her talking. To my mother. About me." Harry explained.

"Bloody hell!" was all Ron said and Hermione elbowed him slightly in the ribs.

"She vanished before I had the chance to speak to her. I thought I'd never see her again." Harry continued.

"Oh, Harry, dear, I am so happy for you!" Mrs. Weasley smiled at him.

Harry didn't like being this emotional but somehow he couldn't hold back his tears anymore. "But – But what if she really dies?"

"You need to have faith, Harry. It'll be alright." Luna said reassuringly and Harry shot her a thankful glance. He also noticed she had apparently taken Batty with her, who was sitting on her shoulder, looking kind of sad. _If a bat is even capable of showing any kind of emotion,_ he mused.

"I would offer to go and take a quick look how everything's going in there, but that curtain seems to be kind of ghost-proof." Fred said disappointed, causing everyone – including Harry – to smile; and it took some time until all the laughers around him had quietened down a little.

"So. Just out of curiosity… why haven't you heard of her before? I mean, if she's your godmother and all, shouldn't she have done something for you in the past?" Ron asked bluntly.

"Don't be rude, Ronald!" Hermione scolded him.

"I didn't mean to. But honestly, you cannot tell me that I am the only one who is wondering about that." He said defensively.

"She just saved his life!" Hermione shouted.

"And we heard her talking, Ron!" Ginny intervened, "She obviously cares about Harry otherwise – like Hermione already mentioned – she wouldn't have thrown herself in front of that knife. She clearly must have had a good reason for staying in the shadows for all those years."

Harry kissed her cheek and whispered a small _thank you_ in her ear. But before he could say anything to stop his two best friends from arguing any further, Mrs Weasley calmly held up a hand.

"Children, stop fighting. We had enough of that already."

When she saw the two of them give a defeated nod, the older red head looked at Harry and continued. "Harry, dear, I can imagine this a lot to take in. But to put your mind on ease I can tell you that – though I don't know who she is – I have seen her before."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and his heart began to beat faster. "You have? Really? Where?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled and patted his shoulder. "Yes, Harry, I remember her voice. I only saw her once in Grimmauld Place. She never attended a meeting, but from what I have heard, she's a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. He felt his lips forming into a big smile.

"So someone has to know her properly! Thanks, Mrs. Weasley!" he said, hope clearly audible in his voice, and he gave Mrs. Weasley a big hug.

"Your welcome, dear. And don't give your hopes up." She said and returned the hug.

When she released him, Harry saw Hermione with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You know, Harry, I think you should ask Professor McGonagall about her." She suggested. "She's been Dumbledore's second hand concerning both Hogwarts and the Order; and she called her Arina."

Harry stared at Hermione, and his smile grew even wider. _Arina._ Now he finally knew his godmother's name!

"That's brilliant, Hermione! She knew her name, and until Dan is done with his work I am sure she can tell you more about your godmother." Ginny added happy.

"I'm really sorry to interrupt all this, and I am sure Minerva will be happy to help you find answers to your questions. But as annoying as Poppy can be sometimes, I have to admit that she was right about my medical skills – or lack thereof. I really do suck at this stuff. Therefore I could really need some help right now." Xemerius interrupted, worry clearly visible in his silver eyes. "Minerva just passed out completely."

The happy chattering immediately stopped and almost everyone in the great hall turned around sharply; just in time to see Xemerius making his way towards them – carrying the slim body of the now unconscious transfiguration mistress carefully in his arms.


	7. Through the looking glass

_**A.N.: Hi! I know it's been quite a while since the last update, but now I finally found the time to write a litte more, so here's the next chappie! And because you all waited so patiently *Hands out Cookies* it's an extra Long one! Thanks again to all of you who reviewed/fav/followed the Story! As always, I hope you enjoy reading it, and tell me what you think!**_

 _ **To Mawenn35:**_ _Thank you so much for the review! I'm really glad you like it so far! I do try hard to describe Minerva - inlcuding her behavior and feelings - as realistic as I can; she will always be my favourite character :)_

 _ **Yours, Book of Hope**_

* * *

Phoenix Blood: Chapter 7– Through the looking-glass

Harry winced when he saw the lifeless form of his transfiguration Professor. She looked so small in Xemerius' arms; nothing like the strong and solid witch he had seen only minutes before. He turned around and looked at Hermione, who had covered her mouth  
with her hands, eyes wide and starring at the scene

"Oh no! I promised Uncle Dan I would treat her wounds!" she whispered, guilt clearly written all over her face.

"It's alright, dear girl, you can do that now." Xemerius said, breathing hard, as he laid the unconscious witch down on an empty table nearby and softly brushed some loose strands of hair out of her face.

Hermione quickly walked over to stand next to the silver eyed wizard. She drew her wand out of her jacket, muttered a spell and waved it over the body of her favorite Professor. Harry watched in amazement as different colored lights, one after another  
appeared, floating quietly over the witch's body.

Hermione took a deep breath.

"Ok, healing spells are difficult and best be performed by a proper educated healer or mediwitch. But this one should be good enough. Each light is an indicator for a wound or injury. The colors depend on how dangerous and painful they are." The young  
witch explained, took a closer look at the witch in front of her and winced slightly. "The purple spots show the most important wounds _I_ am capable of treating, which in her case are… the concussion and the broken leg. Apart from that we should  
make sure she regains consciousness again as soon as possible. "

"You know, thinking about it, it's actually better for all of us if she stays unconscious for a little while longer," Xemerius pointed out and a little smile appeared on his face. When he saw that everyone was staring at him with questioning eyes he shrugged  
his shoulders and explained, "I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to get into yet another argument with her and deal with that bloody Scottish temper – _especially if she's already worn out, injured and didn't get enough sleep._ In  
this state she won't be able to argue with us."

Harry looked around and noticed that – to his relieve - he wasn't the only one who had to work really hard to stop himself from laughing out loud. _I don't think there is anyone who doesn't know Professor McGonagall's infamous Scottish temper,_ he  
thought. With the time passing he grew to like the silver eyed wizard more and more, who - despite his obvious concern for his old friend - succeeded in his reassuring attempt to make Hermione and everyone else feel a little better in this still serious  
situation.

"For your own sake you better hope Minerva won't ever find out you said this, Xem." Augusta Longbottom laughed.

The older wizard shrugged sheepishly and was about to reply something when Molly Weasley intertwined.

"Now, Hermione dear, why don't you go ahead and do whatever it is you need to do." The Weasley matriarch said, gesturing towards the transfiguration mistress on the table and giving Hermione a reassuring smile. "Minerva did trust you and your abilities  
enough to leave you in charge after all."

Harry saw his friend taking a deep breath. Then she started rummaging in the little bag she had been carrying with her during their horcrux hunt; the one with the undetectable extension charm. Harry then heard a rumbling sound and he looked at Hermione,  
who groaned as she eventually pulled her hand out of the bag, holding two little viols with shining liquid in it.

Xemerius just laughed, "Do tell me when I'm wrong, but didn't that sound suspiciously like a huge pile of books falling over?"

The young witch looked surprised. "Yeah, how do you know?"

"Oh, the same happens to Minerva every once in a while. The two of you seem to have the same habit of carrying far too many books around." He explained grinning.

Hermione beamed brightly at the old wizard; feeling honored to be compared to her favorite Professor. Then she turned her attention back to the witch in question and – like Aidan – she put on the white, rubber gloves. She was about to draw her wand and  
whisper another spell when – to Harry's and probably everyone's surprise – they heard a very hoarse and weak voice.

"You can _never_ have too many books, Xemerius,"

* * *

"Thank Merlin; you gave us quite the fright, Minerva." Arthur Weasley said and Harry felt relieve floating through every vein of his body and as he looked over to Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville and Hermione he could see that his friends had the same feeling  
about seeing the transfiguration mistress in a slightly better state of health.

When he saw her trying to move on the table, Xemerius helped the transfiguration professor sit up. He sat down next to her on the table and put a supporting arm around her again, so she could lean against him.

"I appreciate your concern, but you shouldn't worry so much about an old witch like me." she mumbled and Harry saw her looking worried in the direction of the curtain, behind which Aidan and Madame Pomfrey were still trying to save his godmother's life.

Apparently Xemerius also noticed her look, pulled her even closer to him and squeezed her hand softly. "Nonsense. I know it's hard, but I'm afraid there is nothing you can do for her at the moment, Min."

"Uncle Dan will do everything he can to save her, Professor." Hermione said reassuringly.

Taking a deep breath and with one last, tearful glance towards the closed curtain, the transfiguration mistress turned her head to face the young witch.

"I hope you are right, Miss Granger." She whispered and Harry could see a single tear drop running down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. "Well, I suppose there is no way out, so could we please get this over with as quickly as possible?"

"Of course, Professor!" answered Hermione quickly and handed one of the viols to the Professor. The elderly witch eyed the purple glowing liquid suspiciously.

"It's for your concussion," the young witch explained, "it will also help for the headache."

Seeing that the Professor still hesitated, she quickly added, "I got it from Aidan; he brewed the potion himself."

This seemed to convince the transfiguration mistress a little more and she mumbled, "Very well," before bringing the little viol to her lips and emptying the content.

Harry had to grin slightly when he saw his professor struggle to keep a straight face after swallowing the liquid and he could have sworn he heard her quietly cursing something that sounded suspiciously like, "…more disgusting than Poppy's stuff…".

"And one would think you're already used to the taste of potions by now," Xemerius pointed out, laughing hard at hearing his friends mumbling, "Taking in consideration the quite huge amount of time you've already spent in several hospital wings. Not to  
forget Poppy's constant reminders not to expect anything like pumpkin juice."

Ginny, too, started laughing. "Merlin, I think Madam Pomfrey tells that to everyone who's ever been in the infirmary."

"But that certainly doesn't make it any better, Gin." Harry said, shivering when he remembered all the times he had been under the stern mediwitch's care. So he quickly flicked his wand and conjured a glass of water and handed it to the black haired witch,  
who took it gratefully and gave him one of her rare smiles.

"Thanks Mr. Potter, I appreciate it greatly to have at least one ally in this room."

Harry returned the smile, "You're quite welcome, Professor."

"Allies? Well, that's certainly one way to call it, Min!" Xemerius laughed even harder, "You're both just horrible patients that's all."

Professor McGonagall and Harry first glanced at each other, than turning to the silver eyed wizard and both raising an eyebrow. But before either of them could say anything a loud "Way to go, Professor Brooks!" was shouted at the same time by Fred and  
George, both holding their stomachs and wiping away tears.

Harry looked sheepishly around; the emerald green eyed witch rolled her eyes, but smirked nonetheless, and surprisingly leaned back against Xemerius again, closed her eyes, then slowly laid her head against his chest and sighed. Everyone else – including  
Hermione, Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Longbottom – couldn't contain their laugher any longer. It felt quite good after all these month of little things to be happy about.

"So, 'Mione, you're all done there?" Ron asked, eyeing his former Head of House skeptical and with – for him quite unusual – concern.

"Good question, Mr. Weasley." pointed the emerald green eyed witch out, lifting her head to look at Hermione and Ron, who gave her a small smile in return.

Though Ron had never had been as comfortable being around the Head of Gryffindor House as Hermione and himself, Harry knew that his best friend had indeed grown up during the last few month on their mission and learned that showing concern for a person  
– or teacher in this case - was not something to be ashamed or embarrassed of. And seeing the transfiguration Professor fight against Umbridge – who, as Harry assumed, had been taken to one of the dungeons by Moody – resulted in Ron now looking at  
the Scottish witch with new found admiration and respect.

Turning his attention back to Hermione, he saw that the young witch had a rather sheepish look on her face. "Well…"

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"I kind of – sort of, - well…"

"Hermione, I'm the one who is known for stuttering, not you." Neville said and Luna nodded with Batty still sitting on her shoulder.

The bushy haired witch took a deep breath.

"I need to examine your leg and therefore I have to sort of get rid of your robes…" she said, blushing. After all she didn't want her favourite Professor to be uncomfortable in front of all the people around her.

The transfiguration mistress looked down at her legs, which were indeed hidden by the thick material of her heavy black teaching robes and sighed. _They already saw me losing control seeing Arina's lifeless body;_ she thought and her heart ached  
with pain; _might as well expose my legs._

She sighed again, but before she could reply, Xemerius did, grey eyes dancing with mischief.

"Just do it, Miss Granger. I already carried her through the great hall – _bridal style I might add. S_ howing her legs won't do any more harm to her reputation than that. Besides, they are one of the prettiest I've ever seen."

That last sentence earned him yet another elbow in the ribs from the Scottish witch.

Harry grinned, _at least the potion is working and she's getting back to her old self._

"I appreciate your attempts to save my last bit of dignity, Miss Granger, but as you've heard, I obviously won't be given any choice in that matter."

Hermione nodded and started working again. She quickly tore the robes on her left side apart – though only as much as necessary – only to stop in confusion. He grinned as he noticed Ron's mouth also hanging open, so Harry leaned forward to get a better  
look and his eyes widened in surprise – however not because of the broken bone. _Wow, the transfiguration mistress' legs were indeed a sight_! And though he never really gave a thought about what his teachers might wear beneath their teaching  
robes, he didn't expect to see his head of house wearing a pair of modern, dark blue jeans and matching black –

"You're wearing heels, Minerva?" Mrs. Weasley asked half surprised, half smirking.

The Scottish witch groaned. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I started sorting out my closet – _don't ask_. And I didn't bother changing when we were all called to the great hall. How was I supposed to know that _someone – "_ she gestured towards  
Harry at this point, "would make an entrance in the middle of the night and turn the school into a battle field?"

Molly shook her head, smiling brightly.

"You know, last time I checked you were a witch – quite a good one that is. So, why not transfiguring them into something a little more comfortable?" Xemerius asked, pretending to think really hard, causing everyone else to erupt into laugher again. If  
Fred wasn't already a ghost, Harry thought he might have died laughing all over again.

The emerald eyed witch slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath – clearly trying not to lose her famous Scottish temper and hex her friend into the next century.

"I _did_ cast a comfy-charm on them, so stop mocking me, Xem. You're enjoying this a little too much" she said and glared at him, then turned back to Hermione. "Now, Miss Granger, I think you got the wrong leg there. If you'd be so kind and- "

"Of course, Professor."

Another spell later and this time, everyone saw that her other leg was indeed broken. A short part of the bone was visible on the outside and the fabric of her jeans was bloody all around it. Mrs. Longbottom was close to fainting again, leaning heavily  
on her grandson and even Professor McGonagall's eyes widened at the sight, though she quickly mumbled "… not as bad as it looks…", which earned her a dry "yeah, sure." in response from Xemerius.

But the young witch professionally ignored what was going on around her, didn't waste any more time and muttered one incantation after another. The wound started glowing and the bone slowly began to move backwards through the skin to its rightful place.  
Harry knew mending bones was a painful task and even though his Head of House tried hard to keep a straight face, Harry saw her gripping Xemerius' hand. Hard.

Then Hermione said the magic words.

"I'm done, Professor."

The black haired witch released her friends hand and sighed in relieve. She smiled at Hermione and reached out to take Hermione's hand in hers.

"Thank you, Miss Granger."

"You are more than welcome Professor" Hermione answered smiling. "I am however afraid, that I didn't have any _salvia syrup_ left. It's the best for open wounds."

"Don't worry about that, dear, it's not import-"

Her sentence was cut off by a voice Harry didn't expect to hear and he stared at him, eyes wide and eyebrows raised.

"I think I can help with that." Draco Malfoy said, handing a little bottle to Hermione.

* * *

"Malfoy?" Harry asked confused.

"What do _you_ want _here_?" Ron's snapped angrily and he wasn't the only one who watched the young man suspiciously.

"I am here to make amends." he explained slowly.

"You expect us to believe that? After everything that happened?" Neville asked, uncharacteristically harsh.

To Harry's surprise Draco sighed. He looked ashamed when he faced all the people standing around.

"I know what I did. I know you don't have any reason to believe or forgive me for that. And I don't expect you to any time soon. But I _am_ sorry."

At first nobody said anything and the young Malfoy started to walk away, but deep down Harry had a feeling that he was telling the truth.

"Malfoy!" he exclaimed, causing the blond to stop in his track and turn around. "I believe you."

Ignoring his friends who apparently still doubted his decision – especially Ron – Harry smiled when he saw disbelieve, shock and hope flickering in the Slytherin's eyes as he extended his hand to him in a gesture of offering peace between the two of them.

And the next sentence caused Draco's mouth to fall open and Harry to smile even more.

"So do I, Mr. Potter."

Professor McGonagall said, proud lingering in her voice and she smiled when she saw the two young men shaking hand.

"Thank you, Professor." Draco said gratefully, a small smile appeared on his face when he saw her taking the little bottle out of Hermione's hand and pour some of the liquid on her wound; showing him and everyone around that she did indeed trust him.  
However, his smile it didn't last long.

"Why in the name of Merlin would you do that, Minerva?" Mrs. Longbottom exclaimed angry.

"Because _Augusta,"_ the Scottish witch snapped, "Sometimes, we are forced to do things we're not proud of. And everyone deserves a second chance if you just ask for it."

Xemerius put his arms around her again and nodded approvingly. Augusta just stared at the transfiguration mistress, but didn't say anything. Understanding slowly floated through everyone else and surprisingly it was Ron who spoke up first.

"She's right." He said and also extended his hand to the Slytherin. "But I warn you. If you ever call Hermione - or anyone else – a mudblood again, I will hunt you down."

"Fair enough." was the reply and he immediately turned to the bushy haired witch. "I hope you accept my apology, Granger."

"Hermione."

"What?"

"You called me Granger in the past. You want to move forward? So call me Hermione." the young witch said simple.

The Slytherin smiled. "Will you accept my apology, Hermione?"

The witch smiled and shook his hand. "Yes, _Draco."_

Harry knew it would indeed take some time to fully get used to not seeing Draco as an enemy anymore. But as he watched Ron, Neville, Luna and his other friends – including Mrs. Longbottom - shake hands with him, Harry also knew that it was indeed a time  
for second chances.

Thinking about second chances, he glanced back at the curtain, feeling sad and hopeful at the same time and still wondering about the life he might have in the future with his godmother.

Professor McGonagall apparently noticed this and reached out to pull him into an unexpected – though nonetheless not unappreciated – hug. Then she lifted his chin to make him look into her emerald eyes. "Mr. Potter – Harry… there is something you should  
know."

Harry noticed the use of his first name and he knew what she was about to say and smiled. "Professor, I already know she is my godmother."

"You have a godmother?" Draco asked confused, and Harry nodded.

Her emerald eyes widened in surprise. "How long have you known?"

"I only found out a couple of hours ago. But nobody seems to know anything about her. I was hoping you could tell me more about her, Professor." he whispered, not trusting his voice to be steady.

Harry could see her eyes filled with tears, but she nodded. "I will," she said softly. "And the first thing you should know is that - despite what you might think – she loves you very much, Harry."

Harry smiled. "I know that, too."

"Do not forget that this includes you, too, Miss Granger." she said and put an arm around her also.

Hermione looked at her confused. "Professor?"

"It's been so long and you probably won't even remember the last time you met, but Aidan-"

Neither Harry nor Hermione found out what she was going to say, because Xemerius interrupted.

"Speaking of Dan. I really wonder what they learn at med-school, that he is able to stay this calm."

"Why is that?" Fred and George asked, again at the same time.

Xemerius shrugged, looking at the floor. "Well, I wouldn't be able to think that clear if the woman I love was this close to death."

"The woman he loves?" Mrs. Weasley asked confused. "You're not saying that woman – "

"That woman's name is Arina" Professor McGonagall interrupted, sad emerald eyes fixed on Harry and Hermione, "Arina Gold. She's Aidan's wife."

* * *

First they just stared at Professor McGonagall, then at each other, eyes wide.

"Excuse me, who is Aidan, who is his wife?" the blond Slytherin asked, now completely confused with everything.

"Alright, mate, come over here. Give them some space, we'll fill you in." Neville said, gesturing toward Luna, Ginny and Ron. Draco walked over and they quietly started talking.

Hermione was the first to recover; her brain was working like crazy and she started pacing around.

"Oh God! Harry's godmother - She's my aunt? I mean, of course Dan mentioned often enough that her name was Arina, and it's not a common name - How could I not have seen the connection? I - "

The young witch wasn't able to finish her sentence. Looking at the curtain her eyes filled with tears and she started sobbing. "I – this cannot be happening. What – what if. _Oh Harry!_ "

Harry didn't hesitate and pulled her into a hug. "Hermione," he whispered gently. He glanced towards Ron and saw him nod, giving the permission to let his best friend comfort his girlfriend. So Harry rubbed her back and gave her a brotherly kiss on the  
cheek before he continued. "You need to have faith. That's what you said to me. Remember, Dan is the best."

The sobbing stopped, but tears were still running down her cheeks.

"She'll fight. For both of you." Professor McGonagall whispered softly, and Harry could see her green were also filled with tears.

Xemerius squeezed his old friend's hand again; then looked at Hermione and Harry. "Kiddos, I'm no healer. Hell, I couldn't be further away from that. – "

He was interrupted by an uncharacteristic dry laugh from the transfiguration mistress.

He chose to ignore it. "But I can tell you that she resembles her mother too much to ever let that pink toad get the better of her."

The Scottish witch took a deep breath; Harry and Hermione smiled at the silver eyed wizard.

"Let's hope you're right, Professor Brooks." the bushy haired witch said hopefully.

The wizard grinned. "I'm always right." he said and promptly got another elbow in the ribcage from the Scottish witch.

"Ok, I mean, most of the time." he corrected himself quickly.

"Careful, Professor Brooks, or you might end up with several broken ribs." Fred and George shouted together.

"Oh don't worry, I'm already used to that. Years of experience." And everyone laughed again.

After everyone had calmed down again, the Weasley Matriarch turned to Professor McGonagall and spoke. "So, what's going to happen now, Minerva?"

The black haired witch shrugged. "I don't know Molly. All we can do now is wait until we get news from Aidan. So I suggest we all find something to do to distract ourselves. Which shouldn't be a problem; taking in consideration the amount of destruction  
Hogwarts endured lately."

Molly, Arthur and Augusta nodded, walking towards the group of young adults, who were still filling the Slytherin in on the latest events. Professor McGonagall was about to get of her table, too, when Hermione spoke in a rather demanding voice.

"I'm sorry Professor, but I insist you use a walking stick."

The Scottish witch grumbled something incomprehensible, though Harry was sure he heard the words _…infernal stick again…_ ; but she waved her wand nonetheless and the desired object appeared. However, Xemerius snatched the stick out of her hand and  
looked at her sternly.

"You won't need that."

"Thank you. Now can we – "

"You won't need it, because all you will do now is sit right here where you are. And don't even try to argue with me."

To Hermione and Harry's surprise, she sighed in defeat and leaned back against her friend, who smiled triumphantly.

They watched their group of friends – now somehow including Draco – start walking out of the great hall, when Luna came running back to them.

"Here," she said, and handed the little bat she had been carrying around to Hermione. "You healed a real person, now you should help Batty, too."

This said, she raced after her other friends.

"Though I hate to admit it, we cannot do anything for Arina now. But it will probably be a good distraction for the two of you." Professor McGonagall said casually, "Aidan set up his own little office in the hospital wing. I am sure he wouldn't mind if  
you went in to look for something to treat the poor thing."

Harry smiled at the older witch, grateful that she understood all their mixed up feelings and offered them a change to shorten the wait. He couldn't imagine why, but somehow he knew that the Scottish witch cared for his godmother – and Hermione's aunt  
– as much as they did. _Maybe even more than we think, considering her previous behavior._ And he supposed that the waiting wasn't easy for her either. Harry was also quite sure that – given the chance – she even would have joined them, if Xemerius  
didn't have his arms around her; which prevented her from leaving.

"Sounds good, Professor." he said, gave her an unexpected hug and grabbed Hermoine's arm softly. "But you will inform us as soon as you get any news, right?"

The transfiguration mistress nodded. "I will." she promised and Harry walked with his friend to the hospital wing.

On their way to Aidan's office they saw that it was indeed more crowded than ever. As they passed by the pale, sleeping form of Professor Severus Snape lying in the small hospital bed, Harry chuckled, despite his best efforts not to. Aidan apparently  
hadn't been joking when he said that they had hand-cuffed the potions master to the bed.

"Harry, you have to wait until he wakes up. Come on now." Hermione said and dragged him into her uncle's temporary office and walked to his small desk.

It didn't surprise Harry that the office was kind of a mess, considering all the work the healer had to deal with lately. So they decided to settle down on his desk, which was relatively tidy - apart from some books, a mirror and Band-Aids, of course.  
Hermione spotted another of Aidan's bags and set the little bat down on a small shelf above the desk, next to some bottled up blood samples and potions before she started rummaging around.

Neither of the two noticed that Batty – with a broken wing – tried to fly away from the shelf. But the little bat couldn't hold his balance and fell down, knocking off some of the stored blood samples and potions, causing them to break and spill their  
liquid all over the surface of the mirror on the desk.

When Harry saw the mess, he immediately tapped Hermione on the shoulder and together they tried to clean it up. Suddenly a small glow appeared hovering over the little hand mirror.

"Harry, what is that" Hermione asked as she picked the mirror up to get a better look.

"It looks like the surface of the mirror absorbed blood and potions and created that swirling, dark red liquid pool inside of it." Harry said, simply describing what he saw.

Hermione handed the mirror to Harry so she could take a better look at the remains of the broken bottles on the desk. After reading their names she spun around to face Harry but it was too late.

She watched as her best friend, curiously, touched the swirling liquid with his other hand and before she could do anything, Harry started to glow. All she could do was grabbing his arm in the last minute and together they got sucked into the red substance,  
right through the looking-glass.

* * *

With the same nauseous feeling that came over them when they first tried the side-along- apparition, they swirled around until it suddenly stopped and they hit the ground.

Harry was the first to recover and helped his best friend to her feet. Confused they looked around, trying to figure out where they were. _What in the name of Merlin happened here?_ He asked himself.

Harry observed that they found themselves in a small office, decorated with a desk, several book shelves and countless other things. This however wasn't important, because somehow Harry knew this office, and apparently so did Hermione because she looked  
at him, confusion written all over her face.

But before he could say anything the door opened and his eyes widened. Entering the office was Professor McGonagall, holding a huge pile of books in her arms – and she was followed by none other than Albus Dumbledore!

"Professor Dumbledore! How is this possible?" Hermione asked, and to her extreme shock the old Headmaster and his deputy walked straight through her.

Wide eyed, she turned to her best friend, unable to speak.

Harry looked her in the eye. He had a certain feeling about what happened to them. "Hermione, this is a memory," he explained in a whisper, "I think we just created a pensieve."

 _Tbc..._


	8. Ancient secrecy methods

**A.N.: Hi everyone! Yes, I am still writing on this Story, I have not given up on it, even though it took me some time to write this next chapter.**

 **It took me some time to figure out where exactly I want to go with this in the future, I have quite a few ideas, but to get them in the right order can be a Little challenging sometimes, so I worked on it longer than expected.**

 **And considering that the pensieve will be a Major part in this Story, I am also open to suggestions from all of you, my faithful Readers! If you have some ideas, what you would like to see in a Memory, let me know. I cannot promise I will use it right away, but I will try my best.**

 **I am so very gratefull to everyone who reviewed/fav/followed my Story, you are a great help, so Keep them coming :) As always, I hope you like the next chapter! It is the longest I have written so far!**

To _**foreverglfan88**_ , _ **notsosecretgeek**_ and _**Helena**_ : Thank you so much for the Review! I am very happy to hear that you liked it so far :)

 _ **Yours, Book of Hope**_

* * *

 **Ancient secrecy methods**

* * *

 _Harry looked her in the eye. He had a certain feeling about what happened to them. "Hermione, this is a memory," he explained in a whisper, "I think we just created a pensieve."_

Hermione stared at him, eyebrows raised. "We _what?_ Don't be ridiculous, Harry! A pensieve is one of the most complex magical objects known to the wizarding world! There is _absolutely_ no way – "

"I am not being ridiculous, Hermione." Harry interrupted her calmly. He looked around once more and took a few steps towards an empty tea mug that was standing abandoned on a nearby shelf. He reached out to grab it, but his hand went right through it.  
He turned back to Hermione , a knowing smile on his face. He also noticed that Batty was sitting on the floor next to his friend, with a little amount of blood still visible on his broken wing, but apart from that the little bat seemed to be fine.  
So he drew his attention back to the bushy haired girl. "I have been in Dumbledore's pensieve for so many times… believe me, we fell right into someone's memory."

The young witch opened her mouth, but Harry held up his hand to stop her. "And we better keep up with these two. " He gestured towards the memory-Professors. "I'm quite sure we will get out once the memory is over. Then you can analyze all of this."

Hermione was about to reply, but Harry quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her with him to follow the Professors and watch the scene.

 _Professor McGonagall dumped her pile of book on the desk – with a little more force than necessary – and glared at Professor Dumbledore._

" _Albus. I have been trying to send Harry his Hogwarts-letter for days. Now I finally managed to contact Hagrid so he could deliver the bloody thing, take him shopping to Diagon Alley, then to Plattform 9 ³/4 and all of this last minute I might add, because these awful muggles- " here she stopped and took a deep breath, trying to keep her Scottish temper under control. She closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them again and continued. "The students will arrive in a couple of hours and right now I am certainly not in the mood for one of your bloody jokes!"_

Harry glanced over to Hermione and he could see that she was also smirking.

"She was probably the only one who dared to use that kind of language with the headmaster and got away with it." Hermione whispered impressed.

Harry chuckled. "Well, if she really sent all those letters, she had a damn good reason to be angry. Funny though, Hagrid never mentioned that she told him to get me."

"I know there is a lot more to her than she lets on." Hermione said smiling, "I still can't believe we are in a memory, but maybe this is the chance to see behind the mask of the stern Professor."

Harry smiled, he knew exactly what the brown eyed girl wanted to say. His emerald eyes sparkled knowingly. "You mean we might get a chance to see more of the concerned and caring grandmotherly witch, who is surfacing every now and then?"

"Yes," she replied, beaming brightly.

"Well, then we better pay attention."

 _Professor McGonagall shot one last glare towards the Headmaster, then sat down and started organizing the papers on her uncharacteristically messy and overloaded desk. For everyone else her previous sentence would have been the end of the discussion and a gentle hint to leave the angry Professor alone with her work. Professor Dumbledore, however, had apparently no intention to leave; one the contrary, he walked around the desk, right behind Professor McGonagall's chair, probably so she couldn't see his madly twinkling blue eyes._

 _With a quick flick of his wand the papers and books, which had been lying around all over the desk, started to levitate and sort themselves into several different bookshelves and folders._

" _Albus-", But the black haired witch was unable to finish her sentence since the elderly wizard put his hands on her shoulders and spoke again._

" _You have more than enough time to finish all this, my dear. I think it's time for you to take a break. I cannot recall that I have ever seen your desk looking this messy."_

 _The Transfiguration Mistress groaned. "Oh, really? Did it ever occur to you that the current overload of my desk might have something to do with the fact that I want to get my work done as quickly as possible?"_

Harry couldn't help but burst into laughter at that more than sarcastic remark. He glanced at Hermione and saw that she was also chuckling.

 _Dumbledore seemed to enjoy this immensely, too. "But my dear, didn't you see? Everything is taken care of." He smiled brightly as he gestured towards all the books and papers flying criss-cross through the office._

 _In a somewhat desperate gesture Professor McGonagall put both her elbows on the now almost empty desk, then laid her head onto her hands, closed her eyes and mumbled something like: "all messed up… more work than before…"_

 _Dumbledore apparently didn't hear her ranting, because he continued, still smiling._

" _Besides, I wasn't joking earlier."_

 _This immediately got the black haired witch's attention. She jerked up and turned around to face the headmaster; an outrageous look on her face._

" _What?!"_

" _You said you were not in the mood for my bloody jo-"_

" _I know what I said!" she snapped and the usually calm headmaster winced and took a small step backwards at her tone._

A very wise decision as Harry observed, seeing that a furious deputy headmistress was no one to be crossed with. And from what it looked like she was beyond furious.

" _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore! You cannot possibly be serious!"_

" _Minerva-"_

" _Don't you dare 'Minerva' me, Albus!" She got up and walked around her desk, then started pacing in front of the little fire place. "This is madness! There is no way I could tolerate you endangering the student's lives by bringing that bloody stone to Hogwarts! Especially with Harry and Hermione starting school!"_

The use of their first names caused Harry and Hermione to look at each other surprised, but before either of them could say anything, the Scottish witch continued, eyebrows raised and a challenging look on her face.

" _Besides, do you really think Nicholas would agree to let you hide the Philosopher's stone here at Hogwarts?"_

 _The headmaster wasn't intimidated by the way she looked at him; on the contrary, he seemed to have something up his sleeves that made him smile even more._

" _Well, my dear, why don't you just ask him yourself?" he grinned and the office door flew open at exactly the right moment to reveal an elderly man, with big round glasses, white hair and beard paired with an old fashioned wizards hat standing in the doorway. He looked to be the same age as Professor Dumbledore, but Harry knew had to be much older than the headmaster considering-_

"Harry! That's Nicholas Flamel! THE Nicholas Flamel!"

Harry elbowed Hermione softly to get her to be quiet in order to follow the scene. Both were now extremely thrilled to be given such an opportunity to see the famous alchemist with their own eyes and witness all the missing details to the adventure in  
their first year. He knew for once that the transfiguration Mistress _did_ help to protect the stone in the end with the gigantic chess set, but obviously she was nowhere close to happy about the fact that it was brought to Hogwarts in the first  
place.

" _Minerva. Albus." The alchemy master greeted smiling as he fully stepped in front of the room._

Harry knew that Nicholas Flamel had been a good friend of Professor Dumbledore, so he wasn't surprised to see both men shaking hands, happy to see each other again. What he didn't expect was that Flamel walked over to Professor McGonagall, hugged her  
tightly and even gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. So his Head of House was also friends with the alchemy master. Very interesting indeed.

And thinking about the fact that the Deputy Headmistress was considered to be barely middle aged for a witch – and Harry totally agreed with that; after all he had seen her movements and power on the battlefield, not to forget that no one could deny that  
she was indeed a beautiful woman – he found it impressive that she was already on a first name basis with the creator of the Philosopher's stone.

 _The great alchemist however looked now nervously back and forth from one Professor to the other – apparently very well aware of the tension between them._

" _Soo, I take it Albus has already talked with you about the plan?" he finally directed his question at the Deputy Headmistress._

 _The black haired witch rolled her eyes, then sent both men very disapproving glares and laughed dryly. "Indeed he did. Though I would rather call it complete and utter madness! Please tell me that you don't support this nonsense, Nic!"_

This time Harry got elbowed by Hermione, to put an end to the immense giggling which he was unable to stop on his own.

 _The reason for all the giggling was that the great Nicholas Flamel blushed a deep crimson under the stern glare of the Deputy._

" _Well… to be honest Min, this whole scheme was actually my idea to begin with. And it was I who convinced Albus here to take it in consideration."_

 _To say Professor McGonagall looked stunned was a huge understatement. Her emerald eyes wandered from one wizard to the other, disbelieve written all over her face and her mouth was hanging open. Since she moved her lips, but no words seemed to come out, both wizards shared a glance, shrugged and Professor Dumbledore signaled his friend to take a seat on one of the chairs in the office._

" _You cannot be serious!" the transfiguration Mistress' temper finally surfaced. A vase behind them exploded, causing everyone in the room to twitch –_ including Harry and Hermione, even though both of them knew they couldn't really get hurt.

" _Merlin, Albus! I forgot how dangerous a furious Scottish witch could be…" Flamel mumbled under his breath, causing the blue eyed Headmaster to chuckle._

 _Fortunately for both men the witch in question was too angry to hear any of this._

" _What in the name of Merlin would cause you to do something as reckless as this?! I would have suspected Albus to pull of such a childish nonsense, but most certainly not you, Nicholas!"_

 _Flamel held up his hand to stop her ranting. "Minerva. I know you are upset and concerned for your student's safety – and I wouldn't expect anything else from you. But please, hear us out first."_

 _The emerald eyed witch, her hands still balled into fists, took a deep breath and sat down on one of the empty chairs next to the two wizards._

" _Alright. I'm listening. But you better have a damn good explanation for trying to hide_ your _stone at Hogwarts."_

 _Both men nodded and Dumbledore started, "Voldemort disappeared all those years ago, but contrary to almost everyone else, you and I both know that he is not dead. And so does Nicholas."_

" _Of course I know that, Albus. But what does that have to do wi-"_

" _So far, sources may have found a lead that he was in Romania, but traveling towards England. Furthermore everyone who can do the math knows Harry will start Hogwarts this year. Therefore we have to make sure that whoever tries to harm him in any way will be stopped. And there are still too many people out there who are loyal to the Dark Lord and they will do everything to support him." Dumbledore said._

" _For example stealing the Philosopher's stone to create the Elixir of Life to make their master immortal." Flamel continued._

 _Confusion took over the exasperated expression on Professor McGonagall's face, then her eyes widened._

" _Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You want to catch people who might still support Voldemort? And in order to do that you want to bait them with the Philosopher's stone, which in addition will distract them from going after Harry?"_

 _Both Professor Dumbledore and Flamel smiled brightly. "Exactly."_

 _The black haired witch nodded slowly, then looked at the Headmaster, emerald eyes meeting his bright blue ones._

" _Very well, this actually does sound less preposterous than before. But Albus, what I still don't understand is if you want to_ protect _Harry what good does it do to hide the stone here at Hogwarts."_

Harry was stunned. He never thought that there was more to the story than he had figured out with Hermione and Ron. But thinking about it, Dumbledore's and Flamel's plan to use the stone as bait was genius. Looking at Hermione he could see in her eyes  
that she was thinking exactly the same. However, he had to admit that he had the same question Professor McGonagall had; why hiding it in a castle full of students?

 _Dumbledore held her glance and nodded at her. Apparently he had expected this question. But it was the Alchemist who answered instead._

" _We suspect Voldemort to be not quiet alive yet. In a sort of ghostly state between life and death, it's hard to explain. He might uses unicorn blood at first, but after some time it will lose its effects. So he will send someone close to him to get him the stone. And I daresay you and Albus have the best shot at catching this person here."_

" _But Nic-"_

" _And apart from maybe the ministry, Hogwarts is probably the safest place there is." The blue eyed wizard continued. "We will know immediately when someone from the outside tries to break through the wards."_

" _Of course, but there will hardly be anyone from the inside – " she stopped dead in track and stared at both men in front of her, emerald eyes wide and shock, "Wait. You suspect someone from the staff to be a supporter of Voldemort?!"_

 _Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle when he looked at her and he sighed. "I do. But I'm not quite sure who it is yet. This is our best chance. If there was another way, I would take it, Minerva."_

 _The witch sighed but nodded. "I do hope you're right, Albus."_

 _Dumbledore reached out for her hand and squeezed it a little. "So do I, my dear, so do I."_

 _They all stood up and headed towards the door, Headmaster and Deputy walking as usual with their arms linked._

" _So, when do you plan on going to Gringott's?"_

 _Flamel chuckled softly._

" _Actually," Dumbledore said and stuck his other hand in a pocket of his robe to retrieve a small package, "I already have the stone here."_

 _Professor McGonagall gripped his arm hard and stared at him. "You what?!"_

" _Hagrid got it for me. He went to Gringott's with Harry earlier that day, so I asked Nicholas to give him the key and he took the stone out of the vault."_

" _He was with Harry?" she asked wearily as they headed towards the stairs._

" _Yes, you should know that, my dear. You sent him to help Harry get all his school supplies after all. I merely added one of his chores."_

 _The witch sighed frustrated. "Albus. Harry is a perfect mix of Lily and James! I can already tell that he will get himself involved with this stone."_

" _Then we just have to make sure the stone is well protected and Harry stays away from the it." Dumbledore answered innocently. He smiled when he saw her slightly pained face, so he laid an arm around her and followed the alchemy master, who apparently had wandered off to talk to Nearly Headless Nick._

" _Lovely." Professor McGonagall mumbled sarcastically. "Something like that in Harry and Hermione's first year. Arina's gonna kill me once she's found out."_

.

Before he could even chuckle about that last statement or think any further about what sort of relationship Arina had with Professor McGonagall, that would cause the formidable witch to mumble something like that, everything started to blur all of a sudden.

Harry could hardly hear what was being said anymore, let alone see the people in the scene properly. Dark red, cloudy like strands and swirls appeared from every side, until everything turned completely bloody and all that was left to see was Hermione  
standing next to him, who quickly grabbed his hand; a sort of panicked look on her face.

Apart from the color, it was exactly the same procedure that Harry had experienced whenever he went down the memory line in Dumbledore's pensieve, though he still couldn't make up his mind whether the substance, which they currently found themselves in,  
looked like red light made liquid or wind made solid. But before he could think any further about it, he could feel that their surroundings started swirling, and recognizing the already similar sensation, he knew what was about to happen.

So he quickly picked up Batty from the ground, grabbed Hermione's hand harder and looked her in the eye, silently telling her that whatever was about to happen, he wouldn't let go of her hand. Not a second later they got knocked off their feet by a gigantic  
red wave, lifted from the floor and pulled up in the air. They were spinning around within the blood colored substance until they flew back through the liquid mirror surface.

Harry's body hit the infirmary floor first and a second later Hermione fell right on top of him.

"Sorry…" Hermione mumbled. Harry waved her apology off and they both tried to get back on their feet.

"So," Harry began smiling. He put Batty in the pocket of his cloak and carefully picked up the mirror. He noticed that the surface was still the swirling liquid substance, but its colour was not a dark blood red anymore, but rather a very light red, almost  
white. He turned back to his almost-sister. "Do you believe me now?"

The young witch sighed reluctantly. "Well, I think I have to."

"But it still doesn't make any sense?"

"I don't know. But I'm quite sure what ever magic mirror this is, it has something to do with the spilled potions. So I suggest we start looking for answers there."

They both turned around to take a look at Aidan's desk and their eyes widened in mixture of surprise and disappointment.

"Apparently someone cleaned up our mess." Harry said in a matter of factly voice, and heard Hermione sigh; the only chance to figure out how the mirror worked was gone.

"Well, considering that's my desk, this someone would be me."

.

They spun around and saw Aidan standing in the doorframe, wearing a new and clean white lab coat, a slightly angered and disappointed expression on his face.

"Dan, we are so sorry! We can expain-" Hermione started and Harry continued. "We wanted to heal Batty's wing and suddenly somehow-"

The healer held up his hand to stop both children's ranting. He took the little bat out of Harry's pocket, waved his wand and whispered "Sanabit pars subito". The wing glowed shortly before a bandage from the shelf wrapped itself around it.

"This should do it." he answered professionally - unaware of the two pairs of eyes that stared at him in amazement - and put the bat back in Harry's pocket. "Now, though I really want to know what happened to my desk, we'll postpone this conversation  
for another time."

The two friends couldn't bear to look the blond haired man in the eyes, so they dropped their glances to the floor instead. Aidan sighed and took a few steps towards them, laid one of his arms around his niece, the other one around his wife's godson.

"Now listen to me, you two," he said in a calm voice and started to walk them both out of his office. "I don't know how many times Abbie had claimed my desk as her own personal playground, therefore I can assure you cleaning it up is not that big of a  
deal for me."

Harry inwardly wanted to smile but he knew the time wasn't right.

"The reason I was disappointed is, that I came in here looking for you earlier and you weren't there. Arina just came out of surgery and I thought you cared enough about her that you wanted to be informed immediately."

They stopped walking at once and fired one question after another at the young surgeon. "What?", "Since when?", "How is she?", "Will Arina be alright?", "Can we see her?", "What about-"

Before they could come up with more questions, Aidan held up his hand again and interrupted. "Hermione, Harry, please, I don't understand a thing when you talk at the same time."

"Is Arina alive?" Hermione asked immediately and she looked at her uncle with big brown eyes.

Dan nodded and was about to say something else when Harry fired the next questions at him, "How is she? Can we see her? Please?"

"Yes, you can see her. Come with me," Dan said and smiled at the two gently, then laid his arms protectively around both of them once more and they continued walking back to the great hall. "It was a close call, but we were able to remove the knife. Arina is stable and alive, at least for now. And before you ask, no, she's not alone, Minerva is with her."

Harry nodded relieved, more than grateful that Professor McGonagall was watching over his godmother.

"Wait. What do you mean 'for now'?" Hermione asked sharply. Contrary to Harry, she had picked up the two worrisome words immediately and when they turned to face Dan, they saw a somewhat forlorn look in the surgeon's eyes.

Dan sighed, and when he spoke Harry could hear the frustration in his voice. "She's alive, but unresponsive. In a sort of coma. We assume that the blade was somehow charmed, so all we can wait and see when she wakes up."

Taking in consideration the precariousness that was audibly in his voice, Harry had a certain feeling that what Aidan really wanted to say was: _'if_ she wakes up'. He could feel the tears starting to form in his eyes. _Arina has to wake up_.  
He had already lost his parents; Sirius was gone, as well as Professor Dumbledore, Remus and Tonks.

Professor McGonagall, the one witch he had considered a grandmother figure, almost died protecting the school from Umbridge. _Why does it always happen to me?_ Harry thought, _Why is it that all the people I care about get hurt or die?_

He didn't want anyone to see his tears, so he quickly and unnoticed wiped them away, then shook his head in frustration to get rid of the thoughts as fast as possible.

They walked through the great hall in silence, though all three of them were thinking about the same person. Arina. Dan about his wife, Hermione about her aunt, and Harry about his godmother.

* * *

From her positon on the table, Minerva glanced down at the hospital bed. Her head rested on a fluffy pillow, a blanked was softly wrapped around the lower part of her body and her arms were folded on her stomach; after saving her life - _Merlin knows how he did that -_ Aidan  
had also made sure Arina was as comfortable as possible, given the current situation.

Her beautiful blue eyes however were still closed and her face was pale. _Deathly pale_ , Minerva thought bitter. Since Aidan had finished the surgery and brought Arina's bed to her side, her eyes had never left the girl lying in it.

Minerva shook her head and sighed. _Woman,_ she corrected herself, smiling slightly. _The kind and adorable little girl she remembered had transformed into a caring, selfless and courageous young woman, who would do anything for the people she loves._

Her heart ached painfully and more tears fell from her emerald eyes. She desperately wanted to reach out to hold the younger witch's hand, but the distance between table and bed was longer than her own arms.

She sighed, then took a deep breath and looked carefully around. Aidan wouldn't like it at all, but he had vanished through the doors of the hospital wing some time ago to look for Harry and Hermione again; and Xemerius was on his way to the kitchen.

Despite her best efforts she smiled inwardly, _his appetite is worse than Ronald Weasley's._ The other Order members were still working outside the great hall, so apart from injured witches and wizards in hospitals beds all around her, no one  
else was able to scold her for what she was about to do next.

She reached underneath the blanket that Aidan had also wrapped around her earlier, searching her pockets for her wand. She sighed in frustration when she realized that Xemerius had in wise foresight taken her wand with him. _He knows me too well._

Reluctantly she grabbed her walking stick and slowly pushed herself over the edge of the table, until her toes touched the ground. With one deep breath she gathered all her strength and pulled herself up to fully stand on her feet. However, she hadn't  
anticipated the pain that immediately shot through her leg, and she leaned heavily on her stick.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and focused on the table she had been sitting on. Transfiguring a table in a chair was something she usually didn't even have to think about, but she remembered Aidan's warning words. _"You are in absolutely no condition to use wandless magic, Minerva. Now more than ever."_

Minerva was very well aware of the fact that she hadn't listened to him when she fought against Dolores earlier, and she knew she should pay attention to his words now even more… but Arina needed her. In addition, she wasn't able to get back on that table on her own, and standing next to the bed for the rest of the time, was surely not something Dan would want her to do.

 _We never expected that I would make it through the bloody battle in the first place, and changing a table into a chair with a little bit of wandless magic can't possibly do too much harm now, can it?_

With one supporting hand still on the walking stick, she raised the other one, concentrated and waved it. She immediately felt the magic rush through her veins, but before she could smile at the sight of the comfortable looking, Gryffindor red armchair, another wave of pain shot through her entire body, through all her muscles and right into her heart.

She tried to breath, get control of her body again, but it felt like being tortured with the Crutiatus Curse all over again. Slowly - and in Minerva's opinion too slowly – the pain began to fade away and she managed to manoeuvre herself into the chair.

She sat there for a moment, beyond exhausted, thinking, not daring to move a single muscle. Of course, Minerva would never admit it, but she was tired, and scared. Scared of how much longer she could take it that her own magic was turning against her, and tired of fighting it for so long.

Especially considering that one of the few reasons she had to live for was lying in a hospitalbed in front of her. She reached out and stoked Arina's black hair, softly pulling a loose strand back behind her ear. Then she finally did what she had been longing to do all day, taking Arina's hands in her own.

"You have to fight, Arina," she whispered, tears threatening to fall again. "As small as it might be; there is still a chance for you to wake up. But you have to fight."

No matter how hard she tried, tears were flowing down her cheeks now. "I know you can hear me, dear, and your husband suggested that talking to you would help you to come back to us. And just so you know, I won't leave until I have you back."

Minerva let her tear filled, emerald eyes wander over the woman's body and stopped at the sight of the small bandage that was wrapped around the young witch's chest.

"They need you. _I_ need you. Harry and Hermione are dying to get to know you. Merlin, don't ask me how, but he has already found out you're his godmother, before I even said anything. And what about Aidan and little Arielle? She can't lose her mother at this young age."

She sighed and was about to say something more when she heard footsteps nearby. She turned her head and the sight that greeted her made her smile: Aidan in the middle , with Harry and Hermione on each side, and both his arms around them, was walking towards her.

Surprisingly enough, once they saw her, both children started sprinting to towards her, leaving the Young surgeon to walk the rest of the way on his own. She could see he was shaking his head, smiling slighty.

"Professor… McGonagall…" Harry and Hermione shouted, both clearly out of breath due to their little run.

"Easy there, children," Minerva said, smiling gently. "Come here, you two."

They both came closer and Minerva looked them in the eyes and could see a lot of different expressions; ranging from relieve to concern and also fear.

"Can we… talk to her?" Hermione asked carefully.

Minerva nodded, trying to give a comforting smile. "Of course. Aidan even said it would help her wake up. And I'm sure Arina would appreciate hearing both your voices for a change."

"Can we sit down on the bed?" Harry asked, his big green eyes looked at Aidan, who had also arrived recently.

Aidan nodded encouragingly. "Sure."

Both of them gave him a quick thank-you hug, then set down on each side of Arina. Minerva let go of her hand, and leaned back in her chair; watching the scene. Each of them took one of Arina's hands and started talking to her quietly.

Dan, however, turned towards Minerva, eyebrows raised. "You could have done that, too, you know. Didn't I tell you not to use any magic?"

Minerva winced at the use of his tone. "I didn't even occur to me…"

"Obviously. Are you in pain?" he asked, more concerned than angry now.

Minerva sighed. "I'll be alright."

She knew he was nowhere near satisfied with this answer, but to her relieve he dropped the topic for now. She would probably have to talk to him another time though…

She decided to worry about Aidan's fury when they were about to cross that bridge, and Hermione's soft voice luckily distracted her from thinking about that at the moment.

"Hi there, Arina," Hermione begun softly. "It's Harry and me. We hope you can hear us."

"And I want you to know right away, that I am not angry at all for not telling me that you're my godmother," Harry continued. "The only thing you should be concerned about is that you won't get rid of me anytime soon. There are so many things I want to  
ask you, so have to get better soon."

Minerva watched both of them, their words touched even her greatly and she had tears in her emerald eyes once again.

While Hermione was talking to her aunt, Harry, who was sitting on the side next to Minerva, turned a little to face her.

"Could you please hold onto this for me, Professor? Only for a little while?" He asked and handed her a little mirror.

"Take all the time you need, Harry." She used his first name on purpose, trying to make him more comfortable around her.

Lily Potter had been like daughter to her, and she had adored Harry since the first time his mother had placed him into her arms as a newborn. For years she had to keep her professional distance – _though I did slip every once and a while_ \- but  
now since the war was finally over, Minerva wanted to properly show the boy how much she really cared for him. And she figured that once Arina woke up, she would tell him, and probably Hermione, the whole story anyway.

She took the mirror from his hands and he turned back to his godmother immediately.

She never liked looking into mirrors. It was a habit she had developed early in her childhood, though back then she just wasn't able to look into one at all. But since Xem had only cast some quick cleaning charms on her before he left, she had no idea  
if she still looked as exhausted as she felt right now. Reluctantly she decided to take a look, but surprisingly enough she wasn't able to see herself. _A mirror with a light red liquid surface?_

"Harry, what exactly is this?" She asked curiously and gestured towards the mirror in her hand.

Harry smiled sheepishly at the transfiguration mistress. "Well, that's what we wanted to ask you, Professor."

Minerva raised an eyebrow.

Hermione rolled her eyes at her almost-brother and continued to explain. "We did as you said and tried to heal Batty's wing, but the little thing tried to fly and knocked over several bottles on Dan's shelf. Everything spilled over the mirror and now it looks like this."

"So that's what happened to my desk!" Dan laughed.

Harry grinned. "Yes. But Hermione forgot to mention that when I _accidently_ touched the surface, I got sucked right into it."

"I grabbed Harry's hand just in time. We swirled around in the red substance and when we finally touched the ground we saw…" Hermione looked at Harry, indicating that he should take it from here.

Harry nodded. "We saw you and Professor Dumbledore."

Minerva stared at the boy-who-lived with wide emerald eyes. Her brain was working, but nothing it came up with made any sense to her. Albus was dead. Like every time, her heart ached with pain when she thought of him. Not able to think clearly, all she  
was able to say was a confused, "What?"

"We think that it was a memory. We couldn't touch anything, and after we finished watching the scene it threw us out. Is it possible that the mirror is some sort of pensieve, Professor?" Harry asked curiously. Obviously the boy had given this whole think quite some thoughts already.

Minerva continued to stare at the two young adults in front of her. Then her eyes wandered to the mirror.

The surface was indeed familiar to the pensieve Albus had possessed. She had entered the pensieve with Albus many times, therefore she knew that how Harry had described what had happened to them, was also very accurate.

She inspected the little mirror more closely, though careful not to touch the dark red liquid. _Wait. Dark red?_ Minerva remembered well enough that, when she had first taken a look at the mirror, the swirling substance was a light red, not as dark as it was now.

Minerva turned back to Harry, Hermione and Aidan. "What colour had the liquid when you first dropped out of the mirror, Harry?"

"A very light red, almost white. Why?" Hermione answered for her friend and eyed the elderly witch suspiciously.

"Well, then it's colour is changing," she said and showed them the different mirror surface.

"How?" Harry, Hermione and Aidan asked at the same time.

Minerva smiled. "I am not really familiar with the creation of a pensieve, but from what I know, I am quite sure it is one indeed," here she smiled brightly at Harry. "One of the questions, however, isn't _how_ the colour is changing, but rather _why?"_

Minerva didn't expect Harry to throw his arms around her and hug her tightly. She smirked and hugged him bag. _I'm losing my touch faster than I thought._

"I told you it's a pensieve, Hermione!" Harry said triumphantly.

Hermione's curiosity got the better of her. "What do you know about the pensieve creation, Professor?" She pulled her legs up on the hospital bed to be in a more comfortable positon, though still careful not to hurt Arina.

Minerva smiled when she saw that even though they were clearly excited, neither of the two had let go of Arina's hand.

"Sadly I know not quite as much as I would like to."

Aidan laughed again. "You mean you didn't find enough books about it?"

She nudged him playfully in the stomach.

"Hey, I'm not Xem."

"Oh I know that, I would have given him a harder nudge."

Dan shook his head, still laughing. Minerva, glad that she was able to make him laugh, chose to continue.

"Considering the lack of references, creating a pensieve is indeed very difficult. But not impossible." she added quickly. "Do you happen to remember the potions that spilled over the surface?"

She could see Harry shaking his head and that the boy was about to give a negative answer, when Hermione spoke. "Yes, I was able to take a quick look at the broken bottles before we got sucked in."

Harry looked at her with wide eyes, but the girl just shrugged her shoulders and continued. "I remember Veritaserum, Felix Felicis, Oculus and Memory potion."

"The little bat had to break the bottles with the most difficult potions to brew?" Aidan asked, chuckling, and the children joined him.

Minerva thought for a moment before she spoke. "It makes perfect sense."

"What?" all three asked at the same time.

"The potions. They are perfect ingredients for the creation of a pensieve." Minerva explained. When she saw the questions written in their eyes she continued. "The Memory potion usually enhances a drinker's memory. Combined with the Oculus, you are able  
to see and actually relive someone's memory in every detail. The Felix Felicis increases a drinker's luck. In this case it probably shows the memories in different order. It also explains the new surface of the mirror, considering that is often referred to as Liquid Luck."

Harry and Aidan stared at her, completely inspired by her quick thinking and intelligence.

Hermione beamed also beamed at her. "What about the Veritaserum?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure about that one." Minerva admitted. "Considering it forces a drinker to speak the truth, I assume the two of you be pulled back in the mirror again, until you watched everything there is to know. To get to know the whole truth."

Harry looked at the mirror, its colour even darker than before. He had an idea. "Professor, could it be possible that the colour indicates the time until we are pulled back in the memory? The darker it gets, the less time we have left?"

Minerva smiled brightly at the younger man and patted him softly on the shoulder. "That is exactly what I had in mind, Harry."

"Oh my goodness, Harry, you are brilliant!" Hermione squealed delighted. Then she looked at Minerva, blushed and quickly added. "And so are you, Professor."

"Thank you, Miss Granger, but I think we haven't figured it all out yet."

Hermione looked at her with big brown eyes. "Professor, you called Harry by his first name. Would you consider doing the same with me?"

The transfiguration Mistress hadn't expected that question, but nodded happily. "If you wish, Hermione, I am more than willing to do so."

Aidan watched them, a bright smile on his face. _Arina will be more than happy to see that Minerva tries to let the children in._

"I understood everything so far. What I don't understand is why you can actually _see_ the memory..." He asked confused. "The potions explain the creation of the pensieve. But I didn't bottle up any thoughts."

Minerva shrugged. "I have no idea."

She saw Hermione's eyes widening. "Blood," was all she said.

"What about it?" Dan asked.

"A pensieve works with drawn memories and tears. Is it possible that it also works with someone's blood?" Hermione asked excited.

Minerva thought for a moment. "Well, it is possible. It's no common knowledge therefore only a handful of People even know about ist existence, but it was an ancient secrecy method. Back in the days witches and wizards did indeed pour a drop of blood into the pensieve instead of the usual way. It was a safety measure, to ensure only direct family members, who shared the same bloodline, were able to view them; in order to prevent outsiders from gaining access to family secrets."

Harry was still amazed how much knowledge Professor McGonagall possessed.

"That would explain it," he said, "among the broken bottles that spilled over the mirror were also some viols filled with blood. Though I don't remember the names written on it."

Hermione shook her head. "Neither do I. I could only see some sort of initials. "

Minerva took a deep breath and looked at the children. She had a certain feeling she knew very well whose blood it was. She didn't like the idea at all. Luckily enough only Harry and Hermione could see the memories, the two young adults she cared for and trusted most.

Nevertheless, everyone had secrets, and some of them were just too horrible for anyone else to see and should never be revealed. She glanced at Aidan and instantly saw in his brown eyes that her fears were justified.

"You don't remember whose blood it was, but I do. After all it was my research and I marked the viols myself, so I wouldn't get confused. MM, AD, AVG and AG, " the young surgeon said slowly and looked Minerva directly in the eyes.

Considering Arina's relationship with the children, she had planned on being honest, on revealing parts of her own past to them anyways. But now they would be forced to see every single memory there was, the entire truth, no matter if they wanted to or not.

Reluctantly, Minerva nodded, giving Dan her permission to continue. After all she knew what he was going to say next.

"The initials stand fo Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, Arina Victoria Gold and mine, Aidan Gold."


	9. Mablomi

_**A.N.: Finally, the next chapter's up. I apologize that it took so Long, but... no, I don't have a good enough excuse this time. Again, big thank-you s and hugs to all the people who read, fav/ and followed this Story! You are amazing! *hugs to everyone***_

 _ **As always, I hope you enjoy reading the new chapter! And tell me what you think, I love getting new Reviews!**_

 _ **to Anna30148 and Guest:** Thank you guys for the Review! I'm glad you like it *smile*_

 ** _Yours, Book of Hope_**

* * *

Phoenix Blood: Chapter 9 – Mablomi

Harry's eyes went wide. He had never expected Batty's little accident to cause that much of a surprise. He didn't know what to say, so he nervously glanced towards Professor McGonagall. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking a little – though he couldn't tell whether it came from anger, shock or fear.

Hermione's mind on the other hand seemed to process all these pieces of information far better than Harry's.

"Oh my goodness! Professor McGonagall, Dan! I am - I mean – We – that is Harry and I are so very sorry for all this! I swear we didn't do it on purpose – especially considering that we now probably have to watch all the other remaining memories from all of you – so please believe me when I say how sor-"

"Hermione." Dan held up his hand to stop his niece from her ranting. "Calm down. There is no need to apologize, it was an accident. So everything is fine. I'm your godfather, and I really don't mind you two seeing my memories, and I'm pretty sure the Princess won't either." He pointed to the black haired witch on the Hospital bed. "On the contrary, all this gives you a great opportunity to get to know both of us more."

He smiled reassuringly at the two young magicians, both of them still holding one of his wife's hand.

"However," he continued thoughtfully, " I can only speak for myself – and maybe Arina. Minerva on the other hand…"

He glanced carefully at the emerald green eyed witch on the chair next to the hospital bed, and so did Harry and Hermione. All three of them obviously holding their breathes in nervous excitement.

Harry noticed that the deputy Headmistress still had a somewhat forlorn look on her face. Her emerald green eyes focused straight on Arina's unconscious form on the bed. She seemed to fight an internal battle with quite a few emotions and thoughts running through her head – as well as something Harry couldn't quite place.

But he didn't blame her. After all, it most certainly didn't happen every day that two students were about to watch their teacher's memories – no matter the relationship that had formed between all of them during the years and the recent war. In case their theory about the Magic mirror was right, they had to view all the remaining memories and were forced to view every single detail about a person's – in Professor McGonagall's case very private – life.

"Professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked carefully.

Surprisingly, the witch in question immediately nodded slowly, took a deep breath and tore her glance away from Arina.

But once she had completely looked up to focus on Harry and Hermione, he absolutely wasn't prepared for the amount of emotion that was written in her emerald eyes.

"You will be thrown back in the memories no matter what I say," she answered thoughtfully.

Harry was about to reply something, but the scottish witch continued in a very emotional voice.

"Therefore all I ask is that you promise to keep everything you are about to see to yourselves." she whispered in an almost pleading voice and looked from Hermione to Harry and back to the young witch. "And in case you might see something that's troubling you, I'd rather have you coming to talk to me immediately, understood? I am afraid there will be quite a few things that won't be pretty to watch."

"We promise." both of them said at the same time, meaning it with all their heart.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Good," she said and reached out to touch Harry comfrontingly on the shoulder. "I trust you. Both."

This time it was Hermione's turn to nod. "We know. And, thanks Professor."

She gave the young witch a small smile, then carefully brushed her fingers through Arina's hair, because again, a loose stand of hair had fallen into her face.

Dan, however, raised an eyebrow, grinned and focused on the emerald-eyed witch.

"So that's it: Good? " he asked curiously. "That is all you are going to tell - "

But the Transfiguration Mistress held up her hand and interrupted.

"Yes, dear," she said and turned back to the two of the Golden Trio - and Harry was sure he heard some kind of amusement in her voice. "They will find out soon enough on their own."

Harry and Hermione glanced curiously at their Professor.

However, before either of them could comment on her remark, Hermione spotted that the magic mirror was glowing again.

"Harry, I think it's time again." She said and pointed in its direction.

He knew she was right and quickly, but carefully let go of Arina's hand, as did Hermione. They saw more and more blood red light floating out of the mirror and he felt the now almost familiar tug that somehow draw him closer and closer to the Pensieve-like mirror.

The last thing he heard, before they got shranked to a smaller size was Professor McGonagall's softly whispering voice.

"No matter what you are about to see, keep in mind, that sometimes, secrets are kept for a reason."

* * *

Harry was the first to land on the floor, Hermione crashed down right next to him so he held out his hand to help her up again.

"Thanks." She said, then pointed to the floor once more. "Harry, look. Batty's followed us again."

Harry bent down once more and picked up the little bat, petted it shortly on the head before he put it back in one of the pockets of his robes again. He smiled when he felt it cuddle against him.

"Rembember the broken wing? Its blood must be in the Mablomi, too."

Hermione nodded, then turned her head sharply to look at her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait. Mablomi?" she asked confused.

Harry laughed. "A result of pure laziness. It's an abbreviation for **Ma** gic **blo** od **mi** rror. And considering it's a new creation of a pensieve, so I thought a name might come in handy."

The young witch looked impressed, but before she could reply, Harry spoke again.

"Now, let's look around where we are, Mione."

I wasn't difficult to guess at all. They stood at the end of the Great Hall, that was already full of students and decorated in all the house colours, but the house tables were longer than usually; each of them had one additional empty table added at the end next to the oldest students. He also observed two other flags hanging beside the Hogwarts crest at the end of the Hall over the staff table, though he couldn't quite place where they belonged to.

Harry just wanted to ask Hermione about the mysterious flags and the year they had probably been thrown into, when he heard a fairly familiar voice next to him. He turned around and his mouth dropped open. There, right next to him at the Gryffindor table, sat one Lily Evans. Sure, a younger version of his mother, but nonetheless the same person with the unmistakable auburn hair and her amazing emerald eyes. Taking a closer step to the table, he also spotted his father, Sirius, Remus, Neville's mother and Aidan sitting around her. His heart skipped a beat.

At this moment, Harry, filled with happiness, decided that he had to thank Professor McGonagall once they were back for allowing them to see all these memories, for they were a true gift. To see his mother again was a dream come true.

Hermione next to him smiled and put an arm around him. "You know, Arina and your mother were very close, so I am sure the chance is very high that we will see your parents in a lot of her memories as well."

Harry beamed. "I hope so." Was all he said. Of course his friend was right, but he still decided to listen closely and cherish every single word his parents and their friends would say.

" _Merlin, when can we eat already?" Sirius complained, playing with his knife._

" _Really!" Lily replied annoyed, and snatched the knife out of his hand. "Stop playing! You'll end up hurting someone!"_

" _Yes, probably himself," James Potter laughed and Remus joined him._

 _Lily and Alice Longbottom rolled their eyes at the boys._

" _Honestly, Prongs, I would never hurt anyone!" Sirius said with a load of irony in his voice that caused his friends to laugh even more. "Besides, I'm only trying to get the right angle to throw it all over to the Slytherin table. With a little bit of luck it should hit one of them."_

" _You should be careful that I won't hit you." Alice said and held up her magazine of WitchWeekly._

 _Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I doubt you could hurt a Grindylow with that, Alice."_

" _Besides," James added laughing even harder than before and nudged Dan, who was sitting next to him. "Gold here already started his apprentence ship under Madame Pompfrey. He can put him back together again."_

 _Even Dan laughed now._

Harry however, turned confused to Hermione. "Why does Dan look older than everyone?"

"My mother told me that he had been injured during a car accident when he was eleven." She explained sadly and Harry looked shocked. "It took him three years to fully recover, but luckily he was still allowed to attend Hogwarts, even though he was older than everyone else in his year. As far as I know, this accident was also the reason he wanted to become a surgeon."

With that she turned her attention back to the scene.

" _You are unbelieveable." Lily said, smiling._

" _I know," James replied smiling, mumbled something, waved his wand and conjured a beautiful rose, which he handed to her. "But that's why you love me."_

 _Now it was Sirius' turn to roll his eyes at this best friend._

" _Really, Prongs! Do you have to do these romantic things now? I haven't even had dinner yet and – "_

 _He was interrupted by Professor McGonagall, who was clapping her fork against her glass._

Harry had to take a double look, because for a short moment he thought that a Arina was standing there instead of her, but he quickly rubbed his eyes, blinked and shook his head. No, the witch up there wore – perfectly fitting - emerald robes and her eyes were the same colour. Wow, Professor McGonagall was even more beautiful than she was in his time. He could only imagine how turned head during her own seven years in Hogwarts. He smiled when he though about something Sirius' had told him some time ago that almost half of his classmates were secretly in love with the emerald eyed Professor. Though he had to admit that her resemblance to Arina was quite remarkable.

" _May I have your attention please?" She looked around, gave one of the students her famous glare and Harry knew that this was the reason that she had – even with her looks – this kind of respect and authority from almost every student – and adult._

 _Now a slightly younger version of Professor Dumbledore stood up. And here, Harry could also see that, a couple of years back, he must have been an extraordinary handsome man, too._

" _Now that the sorting of the first years is over- "_

 _He was not so politely interrupted by a rather loud "Finally!" from Sirius._

 _Everyone in the Great Hall burst into laugher._

" _Yes, yes, Mr. Black, you are quite right, but we are not quite finished yet, I am afraid."_

 _Sirius stared at him, disbelieve written all over his face._

" _You see," Dumbledore continued, "you might have noticed the flags hanging next to the our Hogwarts crest."_

 _After most students had noticed, confused faced looked up at the headmaster. For some reason Lily didn't look surprised at all, on the contrary, she beamed and her eyes were sparkling with excitement._

" _The reason for this is, that Hogwarts was selected to host this years Tri-Wizard-Tournament Competition!" He explained, smiling at the "What?!", "awesome!" and "No bloody way!"s that had erupted from the students._

 _While Dumbledore tried to calm his students down, Remus turned to Lily._

" _Why aren't you surprised?! This is amazing!"_

 _Lily smiled. "Because I already knew about it." At the confused expression she added. "I told you about my best friend, Arina?"_

 _James, Sirius, and Remus nodded._

" _The one that you always write these thousands of letters to?" Alice asked. Lily nodded, smiling._

" _Well, she told me about it, because she attends one of the other schools that comes here for the competition." She beamed, and when she saw the stunned looks on the faces of her friends, she quickly added. "But I was sworn to secrecy, sorry guys."_

 _Before either of them could reply, Dumbledore continued. "The students of the other schools will be sporadically sorted into our houses, so they don't have to bother with other slepping arrangements. And now, please welcome with me the Students of Witchcraft and Wizardry Schools Castelobruxo and Ilvermony. Welcome!"_

 _It was quite the sight and Hogwarts students cheered from everywhere when the door opened and the brasilian students from the former school ran in and the Ilvermony students suddenly appeared with bright light in front of the staff table._

 _Once everyone had calmed down a bit, Professor McGonagall stood up and walked into the middle of the hall with the sorting hat in her hand._

" _Alright, as you may already know, it is a Hogwarts tradition to be sorted into one of the four Houses – Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Huffelpuff or Slytherin. I will put the hat on your had and he will decide what house you are suitable for. And even though you are not from the same school, your house will be like your family, no matter what." She said and called the first name from her list."_

" _Merlin, is that list long!" Sirius complained._

 _Harry and Hermione watched amazed as one student after another got sorted, until Professor McGonagall called a very familiar name._

" _Pendragon, Arina," Professor McGonagall called and looked a younger, stunningly beautiful version of Arina in the eyes. Harry noticed that Professor Dumbledore now sat straighter in his chair and watched excitedly._

 _James and Sirius on the other hand stared at Lily. "Your best friend is from Ilvermony?!" James began. "This school might be even better than Hogwarts!"_

 _Sirius however was stunned and open mouthed because of another fact. "Merlin, she's as hot as you, Lil!"_

 _Lily rolled her eyes. Everyone else laughed, including Harry and Hermione._

 _Arina took a deep breath and sat on the chair. And then, Professor McGonagall did something new, which only Harry and Hermione could see._

" _Don't worry," she said and squeezed Arina's hand softly before she sat the hat on her head._

" _My, my, and here I thought I would never have the pleasure of sorting you!" the hat begun._

 _Arina had jumped once the hat had spoken and Professor McGonagall had rolled her eyes at the words._

" _Ilvermony is indeed one of the best schools we have," the hat continued. "But deep down, you know, that Hogwarts would have been a good place for you, too. Especially considering your blood line."_

 _Arina looked to Professor McGonagall, but she just shrugged with her shoulders, indicating that the hat would talk until he made up his mind._

" _Now, don't look so scared. There is only one place for you," here the hat made a dramatic pause, causing the deputy Headmistress to roll her eyes again. "Welcome home," he finally said, "Welcome home, Princess of Gryffindor."_

 _The Gryffindor table clapped loudly, and Harry watched as his mother stood up and cheered along for her best friend._

 _Arina, obviously relieved, handed the hat back to the Head of Gryffindor House, who in return gave her a very proud smile._

 _Then the Young witch ran towards the Gryffindor table, and once she reached it, Lily immediately embraced her._

" _I missed you so much, A," Lily said as they sat down._

" _I missed you, too, L," Arina said happy and sat down next to her._

" _Alright," the red haired witch said. "Let me introduce you: Guys, this is Arina. Arina, this is Alice." She pointed to the short, brown haired witch on her other side._

" _This," she pointed at James, Remus and Sirius, "Are my boyfriend, James, and his prankster friends, Remus and Sirus."_

" _But a wonderful witch from Ilvermony like you can, of course, call me Padfoot!" Sirius shouted eagerly and held out his hand. "_

 _Lily shook her head, but Arina just laughed and shook Sirius' hand. "Lil has told me a lot about you."_

" _Only the bad boy things I hope."_

 _Ignoring the Young wizard, Lily turned to the elder students next to them._

" _Never mind him, Rina. These guys here next to you are one year above us, 7_ _th_ _years. One of them our handsome Headboy, here."_

 _Apparently Dan was also Headboy, because he stood up in a very gentlemen style and held out his hand. "Aidan Gold."_

" _Arina." The young black haired witch said, accepting his hand, "Pendragon," she quickly added, blushing. "Nice to meet you."_

 _Dan smiled at her, his brown eyes dancing with joy. "Nice to meet you, too. And welcome to Gryffindor, Princess."_

Hermione squealed. "Oh, Harry, that's probably the first time they met!"

Harry, too, smiled at the scene and at seeing his parents again after such a long time. But again, before he could reply, waves of red floated in and they started swirling around.

* * *

However, instead of being thrown out in front of Professor McGonagall and Aidan again, they landed once more on an unknown ground.

"Another memory?" Harry asked confused.

Hermione seemed to think for a moment. "I think so. Maybe the one we just watched wasn't long enough, so the Mablomi still has enough energyfor another memory."

"Good." Harry smiled. "I enjoyed watching it."

"So did I," the young witch said, also smiling. "It was probably one of Arina's memories."

"Or one of my mother's." The young wizard added smiling, but Hermione frowned.

"It seemed to be. But Harry, to watch your mother's memories we need her blood in the Mablomi." She said, thoughtfully. "And I thought it contained only Professors Dumbledore und McGonagall's blood and Aidan and Arina's."

Harry nodded. "I guess you are right. Silly thought. Now, where are we?"

They were in a dark room, with some pretty old chairs and tables, and dirt on the floor. But somehow this place seemed familiar. Apparently Hermione noticed too, because she started to walk around as long as no one showed up.

"It's Hogs Head!" she exclaimed.

Of course, Hermione was right, and as if to confirm her suspicion, Aberforth Dumbledore walked through an old door behind the bar into the room.

He didn't look any different from what Harry remembered as he saw him the last time during the battle, so he assumed that they had only been thrown back a couple of month at the most. The messy haired boy was also surprised to watch him clean the tables and for a brief moment he wondered what time it was. He tried to figure it out by looking through a window, but they were to dirty to recognize anything. Just as he wanted to ask Hermione about it he heard something scratching on the back door. Apparently Aberforth noticed too, because he grumbled something and went to the door. He carefully opened the door to see a grey tabby cat with emerald eyes waiting outside.

"Professor McGonagall!" exclaimed Harry this time, but the bushy haired witch just nodded in agreement not to miss anything important.

 _Aberforth grumbled once more something and made a harsh gesture and the cat walked in. Well, more limped in, as Harry noticed. And apparently so did Aberforth, because he starred at the cat strangely before he spoke._

" _You're limping."_

It looked as if the cat wanted to roll her eyes, which made Harry grin – typical Professor McGonagall – but his grin vanished as fast as it came when he saw her transform back into her human form. He could hear several gasps one from Hermione and one had escaped himself – and even Aberforth starred at the deputy Headmistress with what seemed to be a concerned look. She had cuts and bruised everywhere and he could make out some traces of fresh blood.

" _You look like hell."_

" _Thank so much for this evaluation, Aberforth, and it's nice to see you, too!" snorted Professor McGonagall and sat down on top of a more or less clean table._

 _Aberforth eyed her suspiciously._

" _What do you want?"_

"Well, considering you asked so nicely, _glass of water would be lovely!" was the dry reply._

 _Aberforth groaned, but handed her a glass of water nonetheless._

" _No, what do you want_ here _?" He emphasized annoyed. "It's three O'clock in the morning for Merlins sake!"_

" _Yes, I'm aware of the current time," She said as she took the glass from him. Then she took a short sip and sight._

" _I am_ here _to ask you a favor."_

 _Aberforth snorted._

" _I already told you, that I won't do any suicide missions for the Order! I already take an enormous risk for passing on Information as it is." he spat._

 _The deputy Headmistress' lips thinned immediately and her eyes sparkled dangerously._

"This is war, Aberforth! Do you really think _it's easy for me to come here with these Carrow siblings all around the School? Tracing every step I take?" she said furiously._

" _Then you shouldn't sneak out in the middle of the night!"_

 _Her lips thinned – if possible – even more._

" _It's the only chance I've got."_

" _It's foolish!"_

 _Now Professor McGonagall stood up._

" _I have to do it, for my student's sake!"_

 _Aberforth grumbled again._

" _Maybe you should for once think about your own sake, Minerva! You certainly look like you've already done a hell of o lot for them!"_

As much of a jerk Aberforth might have been that night, Harry had to admit that in this particular point he was right. The emerald eyed witch looked beyond exhausted and taking in consideration the things that Neville had told him, he suspected that his Head of House had willingly taken some of the punishments and curses that were meant for her students.

" _I don't care about myself… I just want to keep the children as… healthy… as possible. And if this requires taking a few curses or sneaking out in the middle of the night then I'm more than willing to take that risk!"_

 _Aberforth began to clean his tables again._

" _Well then…. I'm apparently just not used to see someone caring about others."_

Harry glanced over to his friend. Hermione seemed to be as confused by this statement as he was, and by the looks of it, Professor McGonagall was, too.

" _What are you talking about, Aberforth?" she asked slightly irritated._

 _He gave her an annoyed look._

" _I'm talking about my dearest brother! The oh so greatest wizard since Merlin himself! But he never gave a damn about others than himself!" he said and slammed his fist against the table._

 _Professor McGonagall just stared at him in disbelieve, as did Harry and Hermione._

" _You can't be serious." she stated calmly._

After Harry's fancy it was a little to calm and he was sure, that if Aberforth kept on talking such nonsense, her famous Scottish temper would get the better of her.

" _Of course I am!"_

" _That's completely ridiculous! Did you forget what Albus has done for the whole wizarding-community?! For Hogwarts?! What he taught his students, what he gave to them! Just think of all the things he tried to keep young Mr. Potter safe!"_

Harry couldn't agree more with her statement. After all he now knew why Professor Dumbledore did the things he did.

 _But Aberforth just laughed darkly._

" _He just wanted to get attention. As for Hogwarts, it's possible that maybe he cared for some of them… But as for the Potter boy, wherever he is right now, I bet you it's some kind of suicide mission he's doing for Albus!"_

 _Professor McGonagall clenched her fists._

" _As dangerous as it might be, Aberforth, in order to win this war, we have to do certain things, if we want it or not! Harry is aware of the importance of what he's doing at the moment, and he also knows that he has to do it either way! It needs to be done. He's our only hope, Aberforth! And I've faith in him that he's going to manage every task, that's lying ahead of him! And Albus cared for Harry, as if he belonged to family!"_

Harry was very touched by her words and watched in awe how much proud lingered in his Professors' voice. But way more interesting was that somehow, Professor McGonagall seemed to know what he was doing on his search, even if she didn't say it clear. He wondered for a brief moment if she had known about the Horcrucxes as well…

" _He never cared a bit about his family!" Aberforth snapped._

" _Of course he did!" Professor McGonagall shouted, her Scottish temper coming through. "Albus loved his family more than anything else in the world!"_

" _He killed his own sister, Minerva!" the younger Dumbledore shouted to Harry's surprise. After all neither of the Dumbledore brothers talked a lot about what happended to their sister._

" _How dare you, Aberforth! How dare you say this! Albus loved Ariana! And he felt guilty about what happened back then every single day of his life! Even on the day he died he still didn't know whether it was his, Grindelwalds' or your own curse, Aberforth that killed her! And neither do you!"_

 _This remark war clear enough for even Aberforth to understand._

 _Aberforth looked shocked and was silent for some minutes. Apparently he hadn't expected Professor McGonagall to know what exactly had happened that night in Godric's Hollow. So he just stared at the emerald eyed witch._

 _Then he casually waved his wand and chairs and tables started to rearrange themselves to their original places. He walked behind the bar when he spoke for the first time._

" _What kind of favor was it you wanted again?" he asked looking down at his counter._

" _I've got two." She said in a very cold voice._

 _Aberforth seemed to shiver slightly at her tone._

" _Well, shoot."_

 _Professor McGonagall eyed him skeptically, then took a deep breath and started._

" _The students are treated horrible at Hogwarts with these Carrows around. At one point their methods simply got too far! I started hiding some of my cubs in the room of requirement. But as you may already know, one of the things the room cannot afford is food. But somehow Ariana's portrait appeared in the room, which has a secret passageway directly into your bar here. No one knows about this way and I was hoping if I'd sent some of the children through, that you would provide them with some food and water to keep them from starving."_

"It was Professor McGonagall's idea to hide Gryffindors in the room of requirement?" asked Hermione astonished, "I thought it was Neville's."

Harry shook his head.

"No, when I spoke to Ginny she said that it was Professor McGonagall who suggested it in the first place." He explained, "She also got them the little radio to listen to the Potterwatch!"

Before Hermione could reply something else, Aberforth spoke again.

" _Alright. I will see what I can do. And what was the second one?" he asked._

 _Professor McGonagall tensed a little and she took a deep breath before answering the wizard's question._

" _In case Potter, Granger and Weasley should turn up here in Hogs Mead, do everything you can to prevent them from being caught and show them Ariana's passageway into the room of requirement."_

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Shock and utter astonishment was clearly written on their faces.

Harry knew if he was here all Ron would say now was "Bloody Hell."

" _They'd be completely insane to ever come back here, Minerva." Aberforth said exasperated._

 _The transfiguration Mistress seemed to think about what to say._

" _It's rarely possible, yes, but if Potter and his friends should show up here nevertheless, I need your word, that you'll support them by every means, Aberforth." she urged._

 _Aberforth sighed._

" _For all I care, I'll do it."_

" _Thank you, Aberforth." Professor McGonagall sent him a thankful glance. "I'm in your dept, please tell me how I can make up for this!" she said and headed for the back door._

Harry and Hermione were about to follow their Professor, when Aberforth called her back.

" _Minerva! Wait." he shouted, just before she was about to close the door behind her._

 _She turned around._

" _Yes?" she asked._

" _Actually, I've got something to settle your depts."_

" _What is it?" she asked again._

 _Aberforth looked up at her eyes with a somewhat painful glance._

" _How…How do you know that he still thought about her, Minerva? About Ariana?"_

 _Professor McGonagall was silent for some time and starred at Ariana's portrait, apparently pondering over what to tell him. Then she locked eyes with Aberforth again and fixed him with her amazing emerald eyes. Her expression softened when she spoke and she gave a small smile._

" _Albus loved Ariana. Not a single day has gone by that he hadn't thought about her," she said in a whisper, fighting the tears that had started to form in her emerald eyes and threatened to fall, "after all, he decided to name his own daughter after her."_

 _And with that she quickly transformed into the silver tabby again, leaving a clearly stunnded, wide-eyed and open-mouthed Aberforth Dumbledore behind._

Everything went blurry and again the red waves swirled in from all sides, leaving Harry and Hermione not even the slightest bit of time to process all these new information before they were thrown out of the Mablomi again.

* * *

To be continued...


	10. Secrets never last forever

**A.N.: Yes, I'm back with chapter ten! I dearly apologize to all of you, my faithful readers, for letting you wait so long!**

 **This story means a lot to me... and I didn't want to write anything when my heart isn't full in it so...**

 **I kept myself occupied with writing several one-shots and joining a wonderful forum: 'the golden snitch'. It's filled with amazing people/writers and challenges. I use this opportunity to say that we're always happy to find new people to join! *secretly hopes that some of you perhaps want to join***

 **But enough now, here we go!Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/fav/followed this!**

 **A very very very special thank you to Sonja, who really made me want to continue this story! Thanks, dear! *hugs***

[Also, a tiny warning: mild swearing towards the end (well, basically someone saying 'dirty little slut', but that's about it :D]

 **All the best,**

 **Lexi**

* * *

 _Secrets never last forever_

* * *

A loud bang was heard and Harry felt once again the weight of his best friend's body on him, who had landed once more right on top of him.

"Merlin, Hermione, we really have to figure something out for this… or one day I'll end up with several broken bones. No offence," he added quickly as he tried to get out from under her body.

"Bloody hell, mate! Hermione! Where the hell are you coming from?!" Ron's surprised voice was the first thing he heard and he sent his friend a grateful glance when he extended his hand and helped his girlfriend up.

"Thanks Ron," the brown haired witch said smiling. She gave him a small kiss on the lips and started dusting of some pieces of dirt from her clothes.

Harry had in the meantime managed to get up on his own feet and sat down on his usual place on the edge of Arina's bed again, next to Professor McGonagall and Aidan, who had apparently stayed right where they had been earlier.

Smiling, he also saw that his friends had returned from their work. It seemed like they had moved the big round table, since it was now even closer by Arina's bed. She still didn't look good. Her face was even paler than before and her red lips had lost some of their colour, too.

"Well, I'd say most theories about the mirror can be confirmed now. Are you both alright?" The Transfiguration Mistress asked concerned, still holding the Mablomi in her hands and fixing both young adults with her bright emerald eyes.

"Yes, Professor, We're fine," Hermione answered before Harry even had the change to open his mouth.

To be honest, he was still a little flummoxed from the contents of the last memory – or rather from the fact that Professor Dumbledore had a daughter. As if Hermione had read his thoughts, she immediately sent him a sharp look that clearly said: "We'll talk about _this_ later."

"Honestly Harry, I'd really like to know where you two have been. I thought you only wanted to help – what's its name again? – ah yes, Batty." Ron said and gestured towards the little bat, who seemed to be asleep on Professor McGonagall's lap.

"Well, we did heal the wing," Harry answered sheepishly, "but we accidently – "

"Witches and Wizards," he was spared yet another answer since Xemerius quickly walked towards their group; in both his hands several plates filled with hot, steaming and wonderful smelling food. "I am more than happy to announce that the house elves have just finished preparing dinner! The buffet is located at the end of the hall, so take a plate and dig in everyone! That include's you, too, Min."

A roar of laughter erupted from the people around him, especially Professor McGonagall had immediately rolled her eyes at her friend's response.

"What would I do without you Xem?" She asked sarcastically, but a smile was playing around the corners of her lips.

"Well," the Ilvermorny Headmaster said grinning wildly and sat down on the table right next to her. "You'd probably be starved to death if it wasn't for me."

"Another roar of laughter and a nudge in the his ribs from the emerald eyed witch followed his remark. Then Ron did what Harry had expected him to do minutes ago: he eagerly took Hermione's hand into his own and led her to the buffet.

A soft mumbling from Hermione, that sounded suspiciously like "You always have to think with your stomach!" , was heard and with wide smiles Ginny, Neville, Draco and Luna sat down on the table next to Xemerius.

At further examination, Harry noticed that Molly and Arthur, Moody, Augusta, and even Madam Hooch as well as Bill and Fleur had joined them and were currently sitting on the already rather 'famous' table.

"You should get yourself something to eat as well, Mr – I mean Harry," Professor McGonagall smiled softly at him and skillfully ignored Xemerius' whispered "The irony of you saying that Min…"

Chuckling slightly, Harry nodded, got up and quickly followed Ron and Hermione to the food.

"Hey, wait for me!" He shouted and tried to catch up with them.

Hermione stopped, Ron on the other hand – could it be any different? – continued like in trance, mesmerized by the wonderful smell.

"Thanks … Mione…" Harry said, a little out of breath.

The brightest witch of her age just smiled. "You know that no one's able to stop Ron once he has spotted something eatable."

Laughing, they both continued their way until they reached the vegetable section. Suddenly, the brown haired witch grabbed his arm.

"Harry… do you feel something…"

"Strange?" Harry was barely able to finish her sentence, since all of a sudden his stomach felt like he was on a boat trip and suffered from a very bad wave of nausea.

He quickly looked around, trying to figure out what was happening. Headshaking and a negative answer already on his tongue, he turned back to Hermione when –

"Hermione, you are glowing red!"

"So are you!" Her voice was shaking and she mentioned for him to look down his own body.

It was true. Both of them were glowing in a bright, dark red.

"Now, what in Merlin's name does this – "

He wasn't able to finish his sentence. In what felt like a split second, both of them shrunk again and flew, a redly shining aura around them, right back to the table and Arina's bed, like two magnets attracting each other. However, everything the others probably saw was just a single red stream of light disappearing in the little mirror in Professor McGonagall's hand.

With a loud noise, Harry and Hermione crashed down on the floor in yet another memory.

"Holy Godric! That feeling is worse like the first time apparating!" Harry complained and once again helped his best friend up again.

"True. But at least we have figured out yet another thing about the Mablomi."

"We did?" The boy who lived asked confused.

"Well, when I left to get some dinner, nothing happened. Then you joined me and – woosh. My conclusion: At least one of us has to stay within a certain radius of the Mablomi. When the distance is too great, it summons us back."

Harry stared at his frined and not for the first time he wondered what on earth was going on in Hermione's brain that she was able to figure things out so quickly. _She's not the brightest witch of her age for nothing,_ he thought smiling.

"That does sound plausible…" he finally managed to say sheepishly. "But what now?"

The witch laughed. "We do what we have done the last couple of times we came here, Harry. Watch the memories, of course."

The black haired wizard groaned. _Why didn't he think of that?_

Sighing, he shook his head to see where or rather when they had landed this time...

 _They found themselves to be in a nicely decorated room. A living room to be exact, with a blue sofa, that had about a dozen pillows on it. And there, right in the middle between all the pillows, that Arina and –_ Harry's heart skipped a beat when he saw that he had the little sleeping baby-version of himself on her lap.

 _Next to her sat a slightly older woman, with brown, bushy hair and kind, hazel eyes. She, too, had a small child on her lap._ Harry looked over to Hermione and saw her smiling brightly at thescene.

"That's Arina and my mum," she whispered.

"I suspected. You look exactly like your mother, Hermione," Harry winked at her, "I'm really looking forward to meeting you parents properly one day. I can barely remember that one meeting in second year in Diagon Alley…"

The young witch blushed. "Thanks, Uncle Dan and Dad always say so, too. Oh, and by the way…. I recently spoke to Professor McGonagall and she gave me permission to bring my parents to Hogwarts. With the war and all… she said it's a time for family."

"Nice."

 _They watched as baby-Mione started to crawl away from her mother, towards the book next to Arina. The black haired witch chuckled and carefully handed her the book._

" _It seems that little Mione wants you to finish the story, Rina," Hermione's mother said, laughing._

" _Honestly, how does she know that I haven't even finished, Jean?" Arina asked quite flummoxed as she watched the little girl search for the bookmark and opened it at the exact right page. "You aren't even that much into reading, so I really wonder where she got this love for books from."_

 _Jean Granger laughed hole heartedly. Then she quickly stood up, picked baby-Mione up and handed the book back to the blue-eyed witch again. "You know, even though he wouldn't admit it, my husband is probably an even bigger bookworm than you are, A."_

 _Arina also laughed, but remembered that she still had the sleeping boy on her lap, so she put her hand over him to prevent him from rolling off. "If Liam would hear you saying that, Jean… Now, let's finish that story, shall we, Harry?"_

 _She placed the book on the table to be able to get a better look. "The prince was almost there. He used his silvery sword to cut through the thick hedge of thorns and once he had created a big enough hole, he pressed himself through the opening, leaving his horse behind. He was at the bottom of the tower, so he quickly opened the large oak door and run up the stairs to enter the little chamber at the top. Then then he saw her. The Princess looked even more beautiful than he had imagined. The ebony hair, the rosy cheecks on the otherwise pale face, and last but not least the full, red lips. He took a step closer to the bed she was resting on, careful however to avoid pricking something at the spinning wheel. Then he leaned in and kissed the sleeping girl sweetly on the lips, hoping with all his might that it would wake her up. At first, he thought that it didn't work, that the curse still wasn't broken, but then he watched happily as the Princess slowly opened her blue eyes. He helped her up, and kissed her once more. The Prince scooped he beautiful girl up in his arms, left the tower and crawled with her through the hole in the hedge. Together, they sat on the horse, riding towards the Prince' home. Once they were back in the Kingdom, the two of them got married. And they lived happily ever after."_

 _Arina softly closed the book and looked at Jean. "Did it work?"_

 _The other woman nodded, smiling. "Yes, sound asleep, thank god."_

At this, Harry started laughing uncontrollably and received a Professor McGonagall-like elbow in the ribcage from Hermione, but she was also smiling.

 _Then, there was a soft knock at the door._ Harry's heart skipped a beat when he saw his mother enter the room.

 _She was followed a stunningly handsome man, who Harry knew to be Hermione's father. He had light brown hair with some single grey streaks and sparkling emerald eyes. His face was slim with high cheekbones, very similar to Arina's._

" _You had a nice day shopping, Lily, Liam?" Jean asked the two, sending her husband an evil grin._

 _Lily smiled brightly, whereas Hermione's father's expression looked a little like he had just been tortured._

" _Honestly, I'll_ never _go Christmas-shopping with Lily again," he exclaimed and immideately got ssshhh-ed by his wife and sister-in-law. Seing the sleeping children, he added a sheepish, "sorry."_

 _Lily just smiled, hugged Jean, gave baby-Mione a little kiss on the forehead, walked over to Arina, hugged her, too and picked up baby-Harry._

 _Liam did it the other way round; he had started with Arina and now held his equally sleeping daughter in his arms._

" _I warned you that shopping with Lily is pure torture, Liam," Arina teased him sweetly and got a little nudge on the arm from the man._

" _Honestly, sometimes I think these two are behaving more like siblings than Dan and I do," Jean said laughing and Lily joined her._

" _We are not," Liam and Arina said at the exact same time, only confirming Jean's statement._

 _Headshaking, Harry's mother and Hermione's father sat down on the couch next to their friends._

" _I_ liked _our little trip, Liam! And without you, I would have never found a suitable gift for James," the red-haired witch said. "And what about you two? Had a nice time double-baby sitting?"_

 _Arina smiled. "Oh indeed we did. Dan's got the stupid 48 hour weekend-shift at the hospital again, so I was pretty happy to get something to do. And I simply can't get enough of these two little ones."_

" _I'll remind you one day again when you have one of 'these little ones' of your own, A," Liam laughed and cuddled his daughter closer to his chest, "they have you wrapped around their little fingers faster than you think."_

 _For a split second, a small shadow flashed over his godmother's face. "Yeah… one day."_

 _Harry watches as his mother put an arm around her best friend. "You still have more than enough time, Rina. And one day, you_ will _have a child."_

 _Liam also laid his arm around her other shoulder. "C'mon kiddo. Dan is about my age - give or take a year, right? I'm_ sure _you won't be having any problems with you know..."_

 _This remark obviously made Arina smile again. "He'll be happy to hear that! Though I'm pretty sure that the problem doesn't have anything to do with Dan but more with me… Besides, we decided to wait until Dan finished his residency at and I get my full curse-breaker certificate."_

 _Jean on the other hand looked a little green around the nose. "Rina, please know that I love you all very much, but could we stop discussing my baby-brother's love life, please? I fear that I will never get the pictures out of my head."_

With Jean's last sentence the scene started to dissolve. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and for the first time they tried walking in the red swirls the same way it's done when traveling with port-keys. They even managed to land considerably steady.

"My, that was such a sweet memory!" Hermione said happily, "I never knew that your mother knew my parents!"

"Neither did I," Harry answered, "But I'm glad I do now."

"Yeah, me too. I'm also glad that Arina and Dan did get Abbie in the end."

"I almost forgot about her," the young man said sheepishly, "she's at your grandfather Max' house, right? I'm looking forward to meeting the little girl, too."

Hermione only nodded and looked around. They were at Hogwarts. More exactly in one of the stands at the Quidditch Pitch.

Harry observed that the match was already in full swing and the audience was cheering like crazy. It wasn't surprising, however, since the current match was like the red and green robes indicated, between Gryffindor and Slyhtherin, which was always a good one.

Then his attention was drawn to the handsome, auburn haired wizard right next to them. His sparkling blue eyes were unmistakebale, even though Harry had never seen Professor Dumbledore this young.

The bushy haired witch next to him had apparently noticed their former Headmaster, too, but before either of them could say a word, they heard the voice of the quidditch commentator.

" _Alright alright, the referee has taken the quaffle so let's take a quick look at the points again," the brown haired seventh year said. "Bloody hell, 20 to 140 for Slytherin! The one time I'm down with a cold and Gryffindor's chasers are playing like a bunch of..."_

" _BROOKS!" An annoyed grey haired Professor – which Harry recognized as Professor Dippet – grunted._

"Hey, that's Xemerius!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly and Harry had to take a better look immediately. She was right. One row in front of Dumbledore, sat really the young man with brown hair and his amazing silvery-grey eyes.

" _Honestly, Professor Dippet! Gryffindor is used to their top chaser being very emotional every now and then. Especially if he can't take part in the match about the bloody cup in his bloody last year at Hogwarts!"_

" _Focus on the game, Brooks!"_

" _Fine. Now what do what do we have here…" he trailed of and looked through his binoculars. Then he immediately grabbed the microphone again and even the young version of Dumbledore leaned forward to see what was happening. "Holy Merlin, that was a mean shot! In times like these I'm really happy that his year is the last year in which the seekers are allowed to use their wands against each other… This bloody Slytherin seeker just fired a nasty 'incarcerus' at our lovely Gryffindor Seeker and Team Captain! Honestly, I'm actually quite glad that she's such a brilliant witch, even though I sometimes fear she will hex me into next century… Especially when I make comments about her lovely figur–"_

" _Brooks! You're supposed to focus on the game and not on Miss McGonagall's body!"_

This time, Harry and Hermione had to take a double take. First, because apparently back in the days, the seekers were allowed to carry their wands with them and cast spells to prevent each other from catching the snitch. And secondly, because they now looked directly at the slender frame of the young, ebony haired and emerald-green eyed witch, who was clad in crimson red Gryffindor robes, sitting on her broomstick in the middle of the Quidditch field. Her cheeks were a little flushed, but she still looked absolutely beautiful in Harry's opinion, even though she sent a furious look towards the man in the Slytherin robes.

"She's a seeker for Gryffindor and Captain!" Harry exclaimed in amazement.

"Apparently," Hermione said, her eyes still on the wand in her future Professor's hand. "It's so bloody dangerous that they are allowed to use wands during the match."

Harry nodded. "Yes, but only the seekers are allowed to use them. That's why only best students in flying and spell-knowledge were allowed to become seeker! So amazing that Professor McGonagall was one of them!"

"Considering that she was an excellent student, I find it less amazing that she was the seeker rather than how you know about the regulation."

"It's mentioned in 'Quidditch through the ages'.

"Touché," was all the smiling witch said before she turned her attention back to the game.

" _Now come on girls! Let's show these Snakes how the lions really roar!" Xemerius commentated, and Harry heard Professor Dumbledore chuckle softly._

" _Gryffindor's chasers are now in the position of the quaffle! Passing it from Augusta Montgommery to Penelope – excuse me – Poppy Pompfrey and to the front where my lovely replacement Tobias Jordan takes the lead. He speeds up, throws and – NOOOO! Well… I have to admit this was a rather nice safe from the Slytherin Seeker," Xemerius voice sounded like it deeply hurt him to say these words out aloud._

" _Watch out for your heads people! It seems the chase for the snitch has once again begun!" The silvery-eyed wizard continued. "McGonagall only meters away from the snitch, but Dornegan is firing nasty curses her way! Amazing this woman! She is avoiding them so swiftly one would think she has eyes on the back of her head! Now come on, Min! Only a little further! Aaaaaannd she has the– HEY! WHAT THE HELL! SUCH A FREAKING SPEEL IS FORBIDDEN YOU BLOODY EMBARRESSING EXCUSE FOR A WIZARD. YOU BAS-" his next words where overshadowed by the boooo-ing of the crowd and this time not even Professor Dippet said anything._

 _And Harry just now realized why. The Headmaster's eyes were following the ebony-haired witch who, had been unable to deflect the Slytherin's last curse and she crashed – with full speed – into the teacher stand._

 _Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore and Xemerius, as well as the whole crowd had jumped out of their seat, watching with a horrified expression as the Gryffindor Seeker fell hard on the ground._

 _Professor Dumbledore apparated in a split seconds, and for some reason Hermione and Harry were taken with him._

 _The appeared right next to the quidditch stand, where the young emerald-eyed witch had crashed into._

 _Dumbledore immediately bent down and turned around the bundle of crimson robes._

" _Tabby, are you alright?" He asked, and Harry saw that fear was plainly written on his face._

 _One after another, the other Gryffindor Team members landed next to their Captain._

 _Suddenly, the black witch on the ground moved. Slowly she lifted her head, coughed pushed herself fully up and leaned into the auburn haired wizard's embrace. A little blood was running down her forehead, but Professor Dumbledore waved his wand and a plaster put itself over the wound._

 _She mumbled a faint "I'm… fine…thanks…Albus…" and held up a shaking hand,_

" _Wait wait wait, can this be?" Xemerius voice sounded over the loudspeakers, "She really did it! Such a major fall like that but she never ceases to amaze us! Minerva McGonagall caught the Golden Snitch! But is it enough? Let's see: Slytherin was in the lead with bloody 140 Points and – GRYFFINDOR TAKES THE LEAD WITH 160 POINTS! GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP!"_

 _Her Teammates around her as well as the probably the whole school (minus Slytherins of course) started cheering like crazy. Falling into each other's arms, hugging each other, smiling and some of them were even crying happy tears. Even Xemerius came running down from the stands and hugged Minerva as close as he could, his Teammates did the same and soon the slender emerald-eyed witch was lifted out of Dumbledore's arms._

" _Now is what I call the catch of the century, Min!" Augusta laughed and happily embraced the slightly pale witch._

 _The ebony haired witch smiled happily. "And I got away with only a few scratches, amazing huh?"_

 _Poppy Pompfrey also came closer. "After this fall… it really is amazing. Though there is no way out of a visit to the hospital wing. Ah! Don't even try it, Min!"_

" _Fine. I will meet you all in the common room, alright?" She asked smiling and after she saw her friends leave and the stadium getting almost empty, she turned to Dumbledore. "Would you mind accompanying me to the hospital wing, Albus?"_

 _The wizard smiled encircled her slim waist to support her, since he had – like Harry and Hermione – spotted that the young witch was limping. "Of course, Tabby."_

" _Good," she sighed relieved and leaned heavily on him. "I think I might have injured myself a little more than I originally thought…"_

 _She took her hand from her place on her stomach, only to reveal a huge amount of blood. "Just hold me, will you….?"_

 _This was the last thing she said before she lost consciousness and the auburn haired wizard managed to catch her in the last moment._

The now familiar red clouds streamed in and soon the scene dissolved again. Right on time, Harry managed to get hold of Hermione's hand and they were twirling in the red streams of the Mablomi again.

* * *

Barely standing on his own feet again, he turned around to the Transfiguration Mistress, staring at her in amazement.

"You played Quidditch!"

"Of course she did!" Augusta Longbottom laughed. "Why do you think she's so upset with Gryffindor winning the Cup?"

Professor McGonagall chuckled and gestured towards Xemerius, Augusta and Madam Hooch. " Like you three are any better!"

"I hope you watched the one where we won the final match!" Madam Hooch said enthusiastically.

"We did but – wait." Harry stuttered surprised. "How do you know about the memor – "

"Don't look so frightened, dear. We all know about this special little mirror of yours," Molly said from behind.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall told us about it," Ginny added.

"You really cannot live without adventures, can you Harry?" Ron asked, laughing.

"Well, he's a Potter. What do you expect?" Draco added amused.

Everyone laughed again. "You know, this time it wasn't even my fault." Harry tried to defend himself, but he was grinning too much for anyone to take him seriously.

"Oh, don't you dare blame little Batty here." Neville said in a faked stern voice, and Luna smiled brightly at him.

"This little ting isn't as innocent as it looks. It trashed my whole office!" Dan pointed out. He slowly got up from his chair and squeezed Arina' had again. "I'll have to look through another couple of books… maybe I can find something that wakes her up."

Harry's eyes shot up and he looked from Dan to Professor McGonagall and Arina and back to surgeon again. "What do you mean? Didn't you say everything was alright?"

The transfiguration Mistress had a sad look in her eyes, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Dan was faster. "Her injuries are healing well, but I suspect that there was some kind of a curse on the blade of the knife and…" he trailed of.

"And what?" Hermione asked and took her aunt's other hand. "You think she'll never wake up again?"

Dan sighed. "The Princess here will be sleeping until I have figured something out. Now, if you excuse me, love."

"Send me a Patronus should you need anything, Minerva," he added, then touched his niece softly on the shoulder before he headed out of the Hall into the Hospital Wing.

Professor McGonagall just nodded and brushed her fingers softly through Arina's hair. It was a lovely gesture and Harry wondered once more what kind of relationship his godmother had with the transfiguration Mistress.

"Was that all you've seen?" Draco suddenly asked, causing everyone to turn their heads towards him. "I mean you've been gone for quite some time in that mirror of yours and – "

"Mablomi," Hermione mumbled lost in thoughts.

"What was that dear?" Professor McGonagall asked and looked at her with big emerald eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "That's what we call the mirror now. It was Harry's idea. The short version of Magic Blood Mirror."

Xemerius started laughing and all the Weasley's, Longbottoms and everyone else joined him. "Now that's what I call an original name!"

"But Draco has a point," Luna pointed out. "What else did you see? If you don't mind, Professor…"

The emerald eyed witch didn't react; she also seemed to be lost in thoughts and was staring at Arina's sleeping form.

"Min," Augusta shouted, causing the witch in question to jump slightly.

"Merlin, Augusta!"

"Sorry. You seemed to be lost in your own world again."

The ebony haired witch sighed. "I did hear Miss Lovegood. I was pondering over what to respond."

"Well?" This time it was Xemerius.

She turned her emerald eyes towards Harry and the hint of a smile was playing around her lips. "Now Harry, it seems that you haven't experienced anything disturbing yet, so I am curious. What else have you seen except for my low-leveled Quidditch skils?"

"Low-leveled! Sure Min," Madam Hooched laughed and Harry and Hermione both grinned. After all they had seen the two of the playing together. "That's probably the understatement of the –"

Her sentence was left unfinished because the great double doors of the Great Hall opened with a loud _bang._ Harry immediately turned around but he lowered his wand once he saw who it was.

.

Hermione saw that everyone relaxed immediately upon seeing that it was only the white-haired and long-bearded form of Aberforth Dumbledore entering the Hall.

Apparently he had left right after the end of the battle and changed into a pair of new robes. Contrary to his brother, he apparently preferred a slightly plainer style of clothing in a simple black.

The young witch watched – a little irritated – as he briskly walked across the hall, while passing several people with filled dinner plates, until he stopped at the famous 'Round Table' as Hermione had called it in her head.

Molly, Arthur, Bill and Fleur tried to wish the approaching wizard a good evening, but he completely ignored them and turned towards Professor McGonagall, Harry and the still sleeping Arina. She observed that his face bore a strange expression, though she couldn't quite place it.

"We need to talk, Minerva," the elderly wizard said in a rather loud and demanding tone.

Hermione's eyes widened and from the looks of it, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Draco and Harry's did the same. After all, no one really dared to speak to Professor McGonagall in such a way.

The witch in question closed her eyes for a moment, apparently trying to prevent that her famous temper got the better of her.

"Minerva!" Aberforth repeated strongly.

"I have neither the time nor nerve to go and talk with you right now, Aberforth," she said surprisingly calmly, but without taking her eyes from the ebony haired, blue-eyed witch on the hospital bed.

Aberforth shook his head angrily. Then he grabbed one of the empty chairs from the Round Table and positioned himself opposite to the Transfiguration Mistress.

"Oh, don't worry. We have plenty of time right here and now to continue our last conversation. It won't kill that girl when you pay attention to someone else for a moment," he added and Hermione couldn't believe that he spoke so disrespectful about her aunt.

This time, even Madam Hooch's, Mrs. Longbottom's and Xemerius' eyes widened. Hermione was about to say something to defend the emerald-eyed witch and Arina, whom she both already loved.

"Our last conversation," Professor McGonagall started anger clearly rising in her voice, before Hermione had the chance to say something, "was weeks ago. I have expected your visit ever since. But you waited this long now, a little longer won't matter. And you should be careful about what you say in front of her. Unconscious people are often able to hear what is going on around them."

"I merely want answers, Minerva. Secrets never last forever, you know." the white-bearded man responded without wasting another thought about Arina's well-being.

However, watching the transfiguration Mistress and Professor Dumbledore's brother, Hermione was instantly reminded of this very special memory she had watched with Harry.

She glanced at him, and their eyes met for a second but it was enough for her to know that her friend was also recalling the scene. And as if to confirm their suspicion, the wizard continued, his voice a mixture between desperation and sarcasm. "Should she really exist, I have the bloody right to know something about my brother's daughter!"

In the stunned silence that followed one could have heard a single pin drop to the floor. Even Ron had stopped eating, and that said it all.

Hermione looked around more closely. Professor McGonagall stared at the wizard with furious emerald eyes. In return, everyone else, except probably Xemerius and Harry, stared at the Transfiguration Mistress with shocked faces; disbelief written all over them.

"What did you just say, Abe?" Madam Hooch screamed in a high-pitched, astonished and delighted voice. She started looking from one to the other. "He did say Albus had a daughter, right? Please tell me I'm not going completely insane? You heard him saying that too, didn't you? Auggie?!"

Augusta, like most of the Round Table's occupants, simply nodded, still not able to tear their eyes away from the emerald eyed witch.

"Minerva, come on, spill the beans!" The flying instructor demanded, her yellow eyes sparkling with excitement. "If Albus really had a daughter, surely you would know something about her! You were his best friend! He simply must have confided in you, even though he held her secret from everyone else!"

Hermione was once more astonished when she saw that Professor McGonagall, who had tightened her grip around Arina's hand, simply ignored her friend and glared at the younger Dumbledore with furious eyes.

"You lost all rights when you plainly told Albus that you never wanted to see him again. What makes you think that I will tell you anything about her?"

Madam Hooch's "Wait, so it is really true?" was once again ignored, this time however by the elderly wizard.

"I think that I am family and you are not makes it rather plausible, don't you agree?" Abe challenged her with an eyebrow raised. "Albus is dead. I'm probably the only living relative she has left… taking in consideration all the secrecy and stuff…"

He trailed off, and confused eyes followed him. Hermoine had to admit that she wasn't really sure either what he was trying to say here, but she certainly didn't like the sound of it.

"What exactly are you implying here, Mr. Dumbledore?" Hermione was more than grateful that Harry had decided to defend his deceased Headmaster.

Aberforth only gave a dry laugh.

"You really still think he was the flawless and charming Professor, Potter?"

"I don't think it, I know it," Harry replied defensively.

Another laugh followed. "Let me tell you something, Potter. Despite what he may led you to believe, he most certainly wasn't a saint. Especially considering his attrition concerning women."

A shadow flashed over Hermione's face and upon looking at the other people at the Round Table, she could see that they hadn't expected such a disrespectful response from Aberforth either.

"Abe," Augusta quickly said, shaking her head vehemently, "I think you are taking this a little too far…"

"Am I, Auggie?" He shot back, "I really want to think I'm wrong, but cannot deny that whenever he took part in public events, he didn't have the same woman for more than three occasions. They all had similar traits, concerning the quite young age and beauty, but that's it."

Upon seeing Professor McGonagall's stunned face, Xemerius decided that it was his time to speak up now. "I think you should be careful with what you say, Abe."

"I have been choosing my words carefully already, Xem," he said gumpy, "Do you want me to honestly say what I think?"

Xem's anwer was a loud 'No." followed by an unexpected, even louder "Yes," from the Transfiguration Mistress. Hermoine felt a shudder running down her back when she saw the expression of sadness, anger and disappointment in her mentor's emerald eyes.

Aberforth nodded. "As you wish. You want to know what I think?" he asked and she just nodded. Everyone around was watching the on-goings in silence. No one dared to say a single word. "Well, I think – as harsh as this sounds now – that Albus never said anything because he made a mistake."

"How dare you say this," the calmness in the ebony-haired witches voiced frightened Hermione. "Albus loved his daughter more than anyone!"

"Then why did he feel the need to keep her a secret?" He asked with both eyebrows raised. "The only reason I can think of is that he never wanted to anyone to know about the unfortunate outcome of one of his many one-night stand with… "

"With whom?" Molly Weasley asked outraged. "You might as well say it now!"

Hermoine had to bite back an evil grin when she saw that Aberforth apparently felt slightly uncomfortable continuing his sentence, which he probably hadn't planned on saying out aloud.

"Fine. A one night stand with a dirty little slut," he finally said and everyone was staring at him, eyes big as plates; Hermione included.

One second later, however, the young witch almost jumped out of her skin, as a burst of uncontrolled magic from Professor McGonagall destroyed a window.

When she had almost recovered, her heart once again skipped a beat when Aberforth Dumbledore received a sudden, hard and unexpected punsh in the face.

Hermione turned around and saw her uncle and –

She had to take a double look to make sure she wasn't seeing a ghost. She turned around to look at Harry, and upon seeing his stunned face, she knew she wasn't imagining things.

Because there, right next to Dan stood the one and only Professor Severus Snape and wiped away the small amount of blood from his fist.

"I owe you something, Severus," Dan said and glared at the old, goat-loving wizard.

Hermione had never seen her uncle look so angry.

"Don't mention it. She means a lot to me, too," the potions master replied in his deep voice, and made his way over to Professor McGonagall, Harry and Arina, and softly brushed another loose strand of hair out of her face. "Despite handcuffing me to a bloody hospital bed."

Hermione saw that Harry clearly wanted to say something to the newly arrived Professor, but no words came out of his mouth.

"We'll talk, Potter. But not now," Professor Snape said without looking up from Arina.

The young witch chuckled when Harry's only response was a shy nod.

Then her attention was drawn back to Dan, who was – contrary to his usually calm self – grabbing the fabric of Aberforth' robe and forced him to look into his brown eyes.

"I will only say this once, so you better pay attention," Dan whispered in a dangerously low voice, though it was still loud enough for everyone else to hear. "Just because I took an oath to save people, doesn't mean I won't lay hands on you myself should you ever insult my wife or mother-in-law again! Did I make myself clear?"

* * *

 **A.N.: Stay tuned everyone! The next chappie is coming up soon!**


	11. Love will save it all

**A.N. As always, t** **hanks again for all the Reviews/favs/follows! *hands out cookies***

 **Now to some things about the last chappie... I didn't mean to cause confusion, I just wanted to leave a little cliff-hanger :) But you didn't miss anything, all the answers are all coming now :)**

 ***well, most of them... I cannot give away the nice little** **plots that are forming in my head now, can I? Where would be the fun in that? :)***

 **I still hope you'll like it,**

 **yours, Lexi**

* * *

 **Love will save it all**

* * *

A stunned silence followed. No one dared to say a single word. They were all staring at the blond haired surgeon, who now sat on the bed next to Harry by his wife's side.

Judging by the looks on their faces, Harry wasn't the only one who had never seen Aidan this angry. Even Professor McGonagall's eyes had widened in surprise.

For a moment they all just sat there in complete silence – well as quiet as it could be, considering the fact that the other people in the Great Hall who weren't seated at the 'Round Table', probably hadn't heard anything from the previous conversation and continued having a chatty meal.

Harry was also lost in his own thoughts…

And finally, the black haired wizard remembered where he had seen Arina's sparkling blue eyes before! _Arina was Professor Dumbledore's child and she had inherited her father's eyes!_

He still couldn't quite believe it! _His godmother really was the daughter of the most powerful wizard of all times! And, above all, married to Dan; Hermione's uncle!_

 _And considering the many enemies the white-bearded wizard had, it's no wonder that he kept his daughter a secret for her own safety…_

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the present.

Xemerius was the first one to make a move. He shot one last angry look towards the completely dumbfounded Aberforth, then waved his wand to fix the window, which the Transfiguration Mistress had broken earlier with her burst of magic.

Madam Hooch, whose mouth had been hanging open for quite some time now, looked from Aidan and Arina to Aberforth and the emerald eyed witch and back to the surgeon.

"So Aidan, you really married Albus' daughter, hmm?" She asked, still a little stunned, but a small grin started to make its way over her face. "You really are a brave man!"

Despite himself, Dan mumbled a soft "You have no idea..." and chuckled. However, the smile on his face didn't last very long, since Aberforth had decided to choose this moment to raise his voice again.

He had a somewhat troubled, even unsure look on his face. "What – what's her name?" he asked and gestured towards the sleeping Arina on the bed.

Harry glanced at Dan, and for a moment, he really thought that the surgeon wouldn't answer, but he was wrong. The blond man tore his eyes away from his sleeping wife and looked directly in the eyes of the elderly wizard, whose chin had by now changed its colour to a light purple due to Snape's – well, pretty excellent – punch.

"Arina," Aidan finally told him. His low voice sounded surprisingly calm, but anger was clearly written in his eyes. "Her name's Arina."

The pub owner's eyes widened instantly and his mouth fell open, then he stared at the Transfiguration Mistress and his voice was shaking as he spoke.

"He really did name her after Ariana."

Professor McGonagall's eyes gleamed with fury. "You thought I lied to you?" She asked and gave an uncharacteristically dry laugh. "I may be a lot of things, Abe, but I can assure you that I am _not_ a liar."

And for the first time since he had walked through the doors of the Great Hall, Aberforth looked a little ashamed. Then he moved his eyes once again to the sleeping woman on the bed.

"May I…?" He didn't finish the sentence and made a couple of weird gestures instead.

Harry figured that he was trying to ask permission to get a little closer to Arina in order to get a better look at his newly found niece.

"Would it stop you if I said no?" The emerald witch asked and rolled her eyes; Dan remained silent and just raised an eyebrow.

Hesitantly the old wizard got up from his chair, took a few steps towards the bed and frowned a little.

"She's a beauty. But she doesn't look like Albus at all…"

The deputy Headmistress made an unidentifiable sound.

"She has his eyes."

Surprisingly enough, the answer came from Snape – _Professor Snape_ Harry told himself.

"Ariana had exactly the same…" Aberforth mumbled and seemed to be lost in thoughts as his pale blue eyes stared at the bandage that was wrapped around Arina's chest. "What happened to her?"

"Oh, so all of a sudden you're interested in her well-being?"

Harry had never heard Molly's voice sounding so cold.

"Molly…"

"No, Abe. Molly is right," the flying instructor said quickly. "You marched in here, bombarding Minerva with questions without leaving her any time to answer, and a bunch of judgmental thoughts about your brother without even thinking for one single second why the poor lass here is lying in a bloody hospital bed!"

"Rolanda," Severus Snape said, sent Arina one last look and sat down an empty chair at the Round Table. But Madam Hooch simply ignored the man and turned her yellow eyes back to Aberforth.

"You really want to know what happened? Alright. She jumped in front of a knife to save Harry here. It was one of the bravest things I have ever seen."

Aberforth's pale blue, slightly angry eyes immediately tuned to look at Harry, whose own eyes widened in a little fear. "You're responsible for this, Potter? I should have known – "

"Now that's enough!" The emerald eyed witch shouted and glared at the younger of the two Dumbledore brothers.

Ever since her magic had shattered the window, the Transfiguration Mistress had been in a sort of stunned silence, now however, her eyes were sparkling with fury once again.

"What happened wasn't Harry's fault. And you better start controlling yourself now and start behaving like the grown up you are supposed to be. Either that, or you will be leaving right now."

Most of the people at the 'Round Table' now wore rather stupid smirks on their faces, mostly due to the fact that the old wizard looked at the emerald eyed witch as if he had just received another punch in the face.

"She's Albus' daughter; and _my_ niece," he emphasized, "you cannot make me leave, Minerva!"

"Watch me," was all she said in an icy voice, and Xemerius laid - just in case - a soft hand on her shoulder.

Taking a deep, somewhat calming breath, the emerald eyed witch turned her attention back to Dan and the Potions Master at the Round Table.

"It's good to see you up on your feet again, Severus," she said and gave him a kind smile.

"I appreciate your concern, Minerva," he replied honestly, then looked back at Harry's godmother again and a frown appeared on his face. "When will she wake up again?"

Harry's heart hurt when he saw that both Professor McGonagall and the surgeon shook their heads sadly.

"I don't know," the witch replied and glanced helplessly over to Dan.

"I found out that the knife which hit her had been drenched in some sort of an ancient sleeping curse. I have absolutely no idea as to where to start with creating the antidote," Dan explained, sighing and softly tucked Arina further under the blanket. "It's going to be alright, Princess. We'll figure something out, I promise."

Harry hoped with all his might that Dan would really be able to figure something out. He was about to ask him something when suddenly, Hermione made a weird sound and jumped up.

.

"What did you just say, Dan?" The young witch asked excitedly.

"He said that they'd figure something out," Ron reminded her, "didn't you listen?"

The brown haired witch rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. "I did, but that's not what I meant. I was referring to the fact that Dan called her 'Princess'!"

Ginny, Luna, Neville and Draco looked at her as if she had completely lost it. And even Harry had to admit that he didn't quite follow where she wanted to go with this…

"From what I can remember, Miss Gr – Hermione," Xemerius mused, "Aidan had called her 'Princess' ever since their first meeting at the Tri-wizard-tournament and – "

"Of course! That's why she looks so familiar!" Madam Hooch interrupted. "She's been your Ilvermorny Champion, hasn't she, Xem? And she even won the bloody thing if I remember correctly! But well… considering that her father was the most powerful wizard of all times, it's no surprise…"

She trailed of and lowered her head only to jerk up seconds later to look at the silvery eyed wizard accusingly. "Wait, wait, wait! So you knew about her existence, too?"

Harry almost laughed out loud at seeing Xemerius' boyish grin. "Of course I did. She attended Ilvermorny so I could keep an eye out for her."

"My, that's so Albus!" Molly said in a dreamy _voice_. "Sending her to another school so she'd be even more protected!"

"Well, Molly, actually it wasn't quite like that – "

One could only guess what Xemerius wanted to add, because he was interrupted by Professor Snape's voice.

"Please, let's get back to the topic. Granger's ideas are usually not completely idiotic."

In Harry's opinion, this was the first time that the potions master had complemented his friend. The result was that a deep, crimson blush flushed over Hermione's cheeks.

"Thank you, Professor Snape."

The next thing he said was even more unexpected and therefore almost knocked the breath out of Harry's lungs.

"Taking in consideration the previous events, I think we have reached the point where you may call me by my first name. That goes for you too, Potter."

Harry was too stunned to respond anything. Hermione's eyes also widened for a moment, but then she smiled brightly at the potions master and ignored her stunned and open-mouthed friends. "That is very kind, Prof – _Severus._ Though I have to insist on you calling me by my first name, too."

He gave a short nod. "Alright. Now tell us about this idea of yours that's been forming your brain."

The young witch nodded and took a deep breath.

"Considering Mrs. Longbottom's and – "

"Augusta, please dear. I'm not that old yet!"

"Well, that's debatable – ouch!"

Harry laughed out loud along with his friends when the silvery eyed wizard got a little hit on the back of his head from Neville's grandmother.

Smirking, Hermione started once more. "Alright. Like I said, Augusta and Madam Hooch – "

"Call me Rolanda, dear. I'm younger than our lovely Augusta here!"

"Wait, what? Why doesn't Ro get hit for saying that and I do?" Xemerius asked in a faked confused voice and promptly got two other elbows in the ribs from both of the witches.

Professor McGonagall chuckled and the Ilvermorny Headmaster looked at his friend and bowed to her. "Always glad to be able to amuse the Lady."

The emerald eyed witch laughed whole-heartedly for the first time in hours. Still smiling, she turned to the brightest witch of her age. "Hermione, dear, please ignore these three altogether and continue," she said with a small smirk playing around her lips.

The young witch also laughed. "Now what I have been trying to say is that the memory you were asking about earlier was about Arina and my mother double baby-sitting Harry and myself – "

"Now what does that have to do with – "

"Arthur, let her finish!"

"The point was that Arina was reading us a fairy tale," Hermione continued excitedly, "The story of 'Sleeping Beauty' to be exact."

Harry looked around and saw relieved that the others looked as confused as he felt.

"The important thing here is," Hermione continued quickly to avoid confusing everyone eve more, "that the prince woke the princess up with the power of true loves kiss!"

Several 'Oooh's and 'aahh's followed her explanation, but most of them still weren't completely following her.

"But my dear," Augusta pointed out rather sadly, "this is a _fairytale._ A muggle one on top of that."

Hermione nodded. "That's true, but in my opinion there are too many similarities that all of this is a mere coincidence…"

Madam Hooch and Xem didn't seem to be fully convinced either.

"What do you think, Minerva?" Madam Hooch asked and glanced at the Transfiguration Mistress expectantly.

The witch in question however, had a somewhat forlorn look on her face and like in trance played with something on her ring-finger.

"Minerva! That's not the right time for daydreaming…" Aberforth grunted.

"I wasn't daydreaming…" the emerald eyed woman answered thoughtfully, and Abe was spared the reprimand everyone else had expected to come from the Scott.

"I think you might be right, Hermione," she finally said to everyone's surprise.

.

"What?" This time Molly was asking, "What about the fact that it's a _muggle - ?"_

Professor McGonagall held up her hand to politely silence the Weasley Matriarch.

"I am indeed aware of the fact that it's a _muggle_ fairytale," the animagus said and her eyes sparkled with hope. "But most of the time, they are based on magic that muggles accidently witnessed and sometimes they even include hidden clues for very dangerous and ancient magic. Also, remember that instead of inventing some kind of cover up, our ancestors just openly spread the rumours of the tales, to make the muggles believe they were only hearing stories. Sometimes they had the same effect even in the magical world. Take 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' for example…"

"You mean hiding something in plain sight?" Hermione and Harry speculated at the same time and the Professor smiled brightly at both of them.

"Exactly."

Ron, Luna, Ginny, Neville and Draco looked at each other with wide eyes. Xemerius, Rolanda, Augusta and the other Weasleys stared at the emerald eyed witch, once again stunned by her knowledge.

"Hold on a second. Do I get this right?" Dan asked with one eyebrow raised and looked from his niece to the Transfiguration Mistress. "All I have to do to is wake her up with true love's kiss?"

The people at the Round Table also looked at the two witches expectantly. And despite the seriousness of Arina's current predicament, Harry chuckled about Hermione's and Professor McGonagall's simultaneous shoulder-shrugging.

 _In times like these, he really almost agreed to the several rumours that speculate about the possible relation between the two incredibly smart witches! And right now they even wore very similar expressions on their faces..._

"Considering that Arina didn't only prick her finger at a spinning wheel's needle, but instead got the whole knife stuck in her heart… I fear that the dark magic will probably prevail," the transfiguration mistress said sadly.

But at the same time she was looking at the surgeon and hope was sparkling in her amazing emerald eyes again. "But one can still hope, right? Perhaps we'll have for once the fate on our side…"

Smiling kindly at her, Dan reached out and softly stroked her hand. "It's worth the try. As small a shot as it might be…"

For a short moment, Aidan only looked at the sleeping figure of his wife; then he brushed her black curls out of the way, carefully cupped her cheeks with his hand and bent down and softly kissed Arina on the lips, pouring all his love for her in it.

Harry's eyes widened in amazement as a sudden wave of magical golden lights erupted from the couple. The light hovered over Arina and made her look as if she was glowing in golden.

No one said a word; they were all staring quietly at the scene and Harry was so lost in the sight that he didn't pay any more attention to the little mirror in Professor McGonagall's hand, whose liquid had once again started so swirl in a dark, crimson red. And suddenly, everything went blurry again.

* * *

"What in Merlin's name…" Harry cursed as he got up from the ground again. For some reason Hermione had managed to land on her feet, but this time, Batty had apparently followed them again. So the black haired young man carefully picked the animal up and put it in its usual place in his pocket.

The young witch sighed. "Since the last memories, we had a long enough conversation for the Mablomi to re-charge its energy and –"

"I suspected that, Hermione," Harry interrupted her and started to take a look at their surroundings again. "And as much as I love watching these memories, I would have preferred staying where we were. What if this fairy-tale theory of yours really works and Arina wakes up and we're not there?"

"Then Uncle Dan and Professor McGonagall will hopefully inform her about the Mablomi," Hermione said smiling and examined the new scene…

They were standing at a sort of busy street in front of a nice, old, typically English apartment with a – compared to the neighbors' houses – rather big and flowery garden. That was all Harry could make out in the starry night.

 _Professor McGonagall appeared all of a sudden in front of the medium sized, white painted house. Her dark robes were slightly torn, small strands of her hair fell lose out of her usually customary bun and her eyes were a little red, though there were no tears on her face. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door._

 _After some time the door opened and Aidan, dressed in grey pajamas, came out. As he spotted the woman in front of him, a concerned look appeared on his face._

" _Minerva? What happened?" he asked, as he laid an arm around her and lead her into the house._

 _The old witch sighed._

" _I... I need to speak with the two of you. Is Arina still awake?" She asked and her whole body shaking. "I want to tell you in person before you read it in the Daily Prophet tomorrow."_

 _Dan just nodded, apparently wondering what his former Professor had to say._

 _Harry and Hermione followed them into the living room. The sight that greeted them was just lovely. Arina, also dressed in blue pajamas, was sitting on a sofa in between what seemed like a dozens of pillows, her eyes fixed on a little girl with bright blue eyes and blond hair, who was sleeping contently in her mother's arms._

"Harry, look!" Hermione whispered and pointed towards the baby. "I'm sure this is their daughter and my little baby cousin, Arielle! Merlin, she is so cute!"

Harry just smiled. "Indeed she is. And she seems to be the perfect mix of her parents."

 _Professor McGonagall, leaning heavily against the door frame, also watched the two for a moment, tears glistening in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she walked further into the room and Aidan followed._

" _Arina, Princess, we have a guest." He said and kissed both his wife and daughter on the forehead, before sitting down next to them._

 _The woman in question finally looked up, eyes widening and a big smile appeared on her face. She carefully placed little Ellie -_ which in Harry's opinion was a lovely abbreviation for Arielle _\- in Aidan's arms, stood up and hugged Professor McGonagall, her bright blue eyes sparkling._

" _It's so good to see you again!" Arina said beaming and released the older woman._

 _Then she noticed the torn robes and the scratch on her face. "What happened?" she asked sharply._

 _Professor McGonagall sighed again. "We had a Death Eater attack at the school."_

" _What?!"_

" _How?!"_

 _Arina and Aidan asked at the same time, shock clearly written on both faces._

" _Apparently they had entered Hogwarts through a vanishing cabinet which young Draco Malfoy kept hidden in the Room of Requirement."_

 _Immediately, all colour drained from Arina's face and she was as pale as a sheet of paper. "Is Harry alright? What about Hermione? Is anyone else hurt?"_

 _The Transfiguration Mistress avoided the younger woman's blue eyes and looked at the sleeping baby in Aidan's arms._

" _Some students as well as staff members had to be brought into the hospital wing, but they are safely in Poppy's hand now. Hermione received a few scratches here and there but apart from the current state of shock everyone sufferes from at the moment, she seems to be handling the situation fairly well. Harry… Harry is as well as I expect him to be at the moment." She finished in a sad voice._

 _Aidan walked over to the end of the room and placed his daughter Ellie carefully in her crib._

" _Do you need me to come over and help Poppy?" He asked, ready to collect his things with medical emergency equipment._

 _The emerald eyed witch shook her head and sighed. "No, dear, she'll be managing just fine. But… But I – " her voice failed, a single tear falling down her cheek. She quickly wiped the tear away, clearly hoping Arina and Aidan hadn't seen it, but they did._

 _Arina starred at the older witch, probably as worried to see Professor McGonagall in such a state as Harry and Hermione._

" _That's not all, is it?" she asked, her blue eyes looking at the transfiguration mistress suspiciously, "You haven't told us everything yet, have you?"_

 _Professor McGonagall looked at both of them, her usually vibrant emerald green eyes now clouded with unshed tears._

" _Arina, it's… it's your father," she whispered, not even trying to hide her tears anymore, "He… he is dead."_

 _Aidan's eyes widened in shock and he took a sharp breath; his bag dropped soundlessly on the ground._

 _Arina didn't move at all. She just starred at the older woman in front of her and blinked a couple of times, apparently not wanting to believing the Professor's words._

 _Then all of a sudden the blue-eyed witch's legs gave in and she was kneeling on the floor, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably._

 _Ignoring the tears that were now freely flowing down her pale cheeks, Professor McGonagall carefully knelt down on the floor as well and took Arina in her arms, holding her as close as possible._

* * *

Before the two had time to wipe away the tears that had fallen from their own eyes upon witnessing this heartbreaking scene, everything changed once again and Harry and Hermione felt the now already familiar feeling in the stomach as they found themselves once again in different surroundings.

 _From what they could see, it seemed to be a really nice living room. A glance through the open window indicated that it had to be late at night and the only light came from the fire in the chimney and a little candle on the table._

 _Suddenly one of the many bookshelves moved aside and a tall man in robes stepped quietly in the room, though he couln't suppress a heavy and exhausted sigh once he had taken off his boot and put the books he had carried with him onto a small desk._

" _Finally. The last ones just left! I tell you, it gets worse and worse each year! I didn't even know half the people there! Why can't they just leave me alone for one day?" Sounded the exasperated and clearly tired voice from Albus Dumbledore through the room._

Harry noticed that it must have been an older memory again, for Professor Dumbledore looked quite young – and as he had to admit really handsome - in the blue pajamas he was wearing.

Harry was about to ask Hermione who he was talking to, when he heard another voice.

" _Well, it appears that quite literally the whole wizarding world wants to congratulate the famous Albus Dumbledore on his birthday," spoke a soft voice with a light Scottish accent._

Harry was certain he had heard the voice before, but couldn't really place it. It was one of these rather annoying moments when the answer was right there in the front but one couldn't quite reach it.

He looked questioningly at Hermione, but her eyes sparkled with excitement and she held up a hand, wordlessly telling him to remain quiet.

 _They followed the young Professor Dumbledore to the little couch in front of the fireplace and watched as he sat down next to a young woman, beautifully dressed in green silk pajamas and a book in her hand. Her long ebony hair was cascading down over her shoulder in nice curls and her emerald green eyes were sparkling._

The rest of her face was a little hard to recognize mostly due to the fact that the room was still a little too dark and 'the boy who lived' and the 'brightest witch her age' simply stood too far away.

All Harry did know was that she had an obvious glow around her, which made her even more beautiful.

"Wow. She's…" it didn't happen every day that Hermione was out of words.

"…stunningly beautiful." Harry finished the sentence and smiled at his friend.

Hermione just nodded beaming and continued to watch.

" _It's late. Why are you still up?" he asked and kissed her on the cheek, then put his arms protectively around her._

" _I know. I just wanted to wait for you. That's all." Harry smiled as he saw her snuggle closer to him, putting her head on his chest. The man with the short, auburn hair slightly raised an eyebrow and even though she couldn't see it, the witch continued._

" _And I have another birthday surprise for you," she admitted smiling, lifted her head and looked up at him._

" _You already gave me a wonderful pair of socks this morning!" The blue-eyed wizard exclaimed happily._

Harry had to chuckle, when he remembered how much his Professor loved socks.

" _Besides," he continued and his blue eyes sparkled lovingly, "I have you. I don't need anything else."_

 _This said, he carefully touched her face with one of his hands and bent down to give her a loving kiss._

"Merlin, that's so adorable. They look so happy together!" Hermione whispered excited and Harry nodded, completely agreeing with his friend.

 _After a few seconds the couple ended the kiss and the woman leaned back against Professor Dumbledore._

 _Then she took a deep breath, grabbed his hand with her slightly smaller one and placed it carefully on her stomach, covering his hands with her own on top of them._

 _Big emerald eyes, filled with love, looked up at him and a shy, but nonetheless beautiful smile appeared on her face when she spoke._

" _I'm pregnant."_

Hermione squealed in delight. And Harry too, smiled brightly at the couple, especially at seeing his Professor's stunned, wide-eyed and open-mouthed expression.

" _What?"_

" _I'm pregnant." the young woman repeated softly and looked into his blue eyes. "You're going to be a father."_

 _The auburn haired man didn't respond and the black haired witch naturally took his silence as a bad sign._

" _Are you happy?" she asked, suddenly a little uncertain._

 _The young Albus didn't voice his answer. Instead he encircled her slim waist with his strong arms, pulled her even closer and kissed her passionately._

The last thing Harry thought before the red swirls came in once again was, that Aberforth apparently hadn't known his brother at all. It was plain obvious the auburn haired wizard clearly loved the beautiful woman – who Harry assumed to be Arina's mother – more than anything else in the whole world.

* * *

 **A. .: So, to sum this whole thing up a little without giving too much away: ARINA is Dumbledore's daughter and Aidan Gold's wife; Severus is just a very close friend of hers :) And Aberforth is behaving in this rather grumpy manner because he** _**does**_ **feel hurt that he wasn't told anything about his niece *well, and of course because the brothers _did_ have a rusty relationship before* **

**Everything else… well you'll find out in the next chappies :)**

 **[By the way, Aidan is working as a Surgeon at St. Mungos in case you were wondering... for some unexplainable reason the name of the hospital never shows up in my writing O.o**

 **Also, Arina has attended Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America (Blocksberg was the name I made up since I hadn't heard about JKR announcing the other wizarding schools by the time I first started writing.) I will also correct that.]**

 **Furthermore, I also apologize for the spelling mistakes in the last chap, I plan on going over everything again once I have a little more time to sort out SpAg-mistakes :)**


	12. The Queen & Princess of Gryffindor House

**A.N. This note is for all the lovely people that left such amazing reviews! I love you all so much for this!**

 **Sonja: I'm really happy you liked it! And you really made my day when I read your review! I never thought that someone would ever mention my writing in the same sentence with JKR! *I'm still blushing furiously* But thanks so much for that! Danke!**

 **Paige: Yes she is :D**

 **Amiliana & Huntress: I'm so very glad you liked it! Next chap is coming right up :)**

 **TealBlueEyes: Arina does know :) during the next chappies I will - hopefully - be able to show that the two do have a really really close mother/daughter relationship. I just have the cenario in my head, that they always act like that in public; careful not to give to much of their relationship away; but you will see soon :)**

 **Another thing... I usually don't update that often, but since I have a horribly long train ride (2 hours!) to Uni and again (2!) back home everyday, I have quite some time to kill and writing help a lot to keep me occupied :) *though I do have some trouble reading the things I have scribbled on my papers every now and then :D***

 **Now, enough from me! I hope you will enjoy the next chapter! And again, thanks so much for reading!**

 **(warnings... mentions of the words slut and whore... but only once)**

* * *

"Excuse me, Madam …?"

" _Headnurse_ Holloway, please. What can I do for you, Sir?"

The old man smiled on the inside, but for the sake of his cover he put on a rather disturbed expression – even though he was wearing big, round muggle sun-glasses – , then faked a heavy breathing and looked with wide, black eyes at the St. Mungos nurse.

"Please, Mad – Headnurse Holloway," he stuttered. "I – I just found a man in front of the hospital. He seems to be severely injured and beaten up. And he was talking words of utter nonsense before he broke down. I – I, "

The elderly, grey-haired nurse held up her hand, a look of worry on her face. _My, I should have really pursued a career as an actor!_

"Sir, please, lead the way."

Playing the – quite fabulous – role of the distracted witness, the old wizard suppressed yet another laugh and hurried after the medi-witch out of the hospital entrance.

Then he pointed with an incredibly shaking hand towards the wizard on the ground. _Headnurse_ Holloway cried out in surprise, then immediately bent down to inspect the victim.

 _This was easier than I had anticipated…_ The old wizard, clad in dark black robes, thought amusedly and quickly brought his red-hair-wig back into place; it had loosened a little during their sprint.

He watched as Holloway sent her patronus – what kind of patronus was a lady-bug anyway? – back to her colleagues in the hospital, conjured a stretcher and levitated the wizard on it.

Then she turned around to face him and he put on the best concerned expression he could come up with. _I must look so handsome and young now…_ he thought and was glad he had remembered the instructions for the temporary glamour spell, that had changed most of his appearance to a handsome, red-haired middle-aged man.

"Please, Sir, come with me. We will be taking good care of you and your friend…" she said and escorted the old wizard along with the quite bad looking man on the stretcher back to the hospital.

"What – what is going on? Will the good man be alright?" the wizard asked in his – very well trained – frightened voice.

Nurse Holloway shook his head for a moment. "Sir, I'll be answering you questions in a minute," she said and turned to her arriving colleagues.

"What's the matter, Dorothy?" One of the arriving healers asked.

"Injured wizard, mid-sixties, broken bones, concussion, probably some severe internal bleeding as well as a concerning amount of alcohol in his blood-system… I even assume some kind of alcohol poisoning…" the mediwitch explained the situation quickly and the old man smirked. _My, I really get back to my old form again!_

Another one took a few steps closer and his eyes widened. "Dorothy, isn't that…?"

Headnurse Holloway nodded sharply. "Yes, former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge," she answered and quickly searched her desk for a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. "After he was succeeded, he became a drunk, however recently managed to quit drinking again. This has to be handled completely confidential, do you hear me?"

The couple of healers and nurses around the grey-haired medi-witch only nodded; too shocked to see the former Minister in such a state.

"Good," Holloway barked and pressed the note into one of her assistance's hands. "Send this immediately to the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Aidan Gold. He is currently residing at Hogwarts, but he is the only one I want on this case."

Then she waved her wand and a copy of the note flew into the hands of another girl. "This goes out to Professor Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Confused eyes looked at her and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "People, we still don't have officially elected a new Minister of Magic. Were Minerva to run for Minister, I am sure that literary the whole wizarding world would vote for her. And from what I recall she knows Fudge from her own school days. Now don't question my choices, of you go."

 _Minister…_ The old man thought and worked hard to resist the urge to role his eyes, _'She could be Queen of the whole bloody world if she would just embrace her whole powers…'_

"Now, sorry for that, Sir," Holloway turned her attention back to him. "I am very grateful that you came here immediately. If you don't mind… some people might have a couple of questions for you… so might I have your name in case someone wants to contact you?"

His plan was working splendid. "Of course you may," the old wizard acted sweeter than he ever had and luckily he had prepared himself for this part, so he handed her a little piece of paper. "Here is my card."

The nurse took it and smiled relieved. "Thank you, Mr. … Wind!"

The old – well, currently red-haired and brown-eyed young – wizard smiled sweetly at the nurse and outstretched his hand to say goodbye. "Please, my name is _Geralld_. Yes, with the double L… I still don't know what my mother was thinking when she named me… And despite the circumstances, it was really nice making your acquaintance."

The nurse even had the nerve to blush, but it meant that his lovely, in last minute invented name had fulfilled its purpose. He bowed his head a little and made his way out of the hospital.

.

Despite himself, the old wizard had to admit that he shouldn't have been surprised that the little emerald eyed _Queen of Gryffindor House_ – _he still couldn't quite believe that part…_ \- was tougher than he had anticipated in the first place; but even though his plan with the knife hadn't worked out quite the way he had intended it to be… this was only a little throwback. With a little bit more planning and plotting it was nothing to worry about. _And what would the life be without a good game every now and then, hmm?_

Though why in Merlin's name he had assumed that the pink toad would throw his lovely cursed knife at the right person was still a mystery to him. ' _And what do we learn from that?'_ He asked himself as he continued his walk out of St. Mungos. ' _The only way to do something the proper way… is to do it on your own.'_

* * *

"Well, that's a start…" Harry thought as he managed to land on his bottom instead of face forward on the ground.

Quite at the same time, Hermione also turned around, eager to finally talk to Arina properly. But instead of the lovely blue eyes of Harry's godmother, tey only saw disappointed, sad and teary eyed faces.

It didn't take much of a brain to figure out what had happened… Harry's eyes immediately focused on the small hospital bed. And despite his hopes and earlier excitement, Dan was sitting there, obviously frustrated with himself, since his kiss had apparently not been strong enough to break the spell Arina was under. She was still lying on the bed, completely unchanged, with her long, curly black hair sprawled around the pillow and her beautiful blue eyes still closed.

The only mysterious thing was that the faint, golden glow was still hovering around her. _She really does look like a princess,_ Harry thought and a small smile appeared on his face.

Hermione took a few steps closer and a few tears were forming in her eyes upon seeing that her aunt hasn't woken up. "The kiss didn't work?"

The young Surgeon didn't say anything, just shook his head. Professor McGonagall was silently staring at the blue-eyed witch and fiddling with her hands again. The other people at the Round Table just whispered quietly to themselves with the occasional gesture towards the sleeping witch.

Due to the fact that Professor Snape had changed his previous position and currently occupied Harry's usual spot right next to Arina's side, the boy-who-lived made his way over to the Round Table. He passed Aberforth's wooden chair and sneaked into a place between Fleur and Ginny, who were seated right behind the Transfiguration Mistress' Gryffindory-red armchair.

Hermione mirrored his actions but before she was able to choose one of the empty chairs for herself, Ron swiftly encircled her slim waist with his arm and pulled her down on his lap.

The young witch sweetly kissed him on the cheek and smiled at him. Harry also put his own arms around Ginny when he felt her leaning into his embrace.

"Don't give up, Harry," his red-headed girlfriend whispered into his ear, "Arina will be fighting for you. She's Professor Dumbledore's daughter after all."

The black haired young man looked at her gratefully, but instead of saying something he slightly turned her head and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Argh, get a room, you two," Ron said with a disgusted expression on his face.

"Well, you have been occupying the broom closet earlier; there was nothing we could have done about it," Ginny shot back everyone burst into laughter. Well, probably everyone except Arthur Weasely, who apparently didn't like the idea of his little girl and a boy in a closet…

"Doo nott look like zis, Arzur. Ginnie est une fille trés jolie, " Fleur laughed and Molly, who grinned from one ear to the other, clapped her husband happily on the back.

Hermione also had a small smile on her face, but it didn't really reach her eyes. Xemerius, who had apparently seen this, reached out and tapped her softly on the leg in a comforting gesture.

"No need to look so disappointed, hun," the silvery eyed wizard said, "it was a good idea. It's not your fault the kiss didn't work the way it was supposed to – "

"This time, good magic just wasn't strong enough," Aidan sighed, but he managed to send his niece a small smile.

"It was strong, the bloody curse was sadly stronger," the transfiguration Mistress whispered.

"Why don't you kiss her for a second time?" Harry wondered out aloud. "Maybe it is – "

"Good try, Potter," Snape interrupted, and Harry still couldn't quite believe his ears upon hearing the nice tone his Professor used. "But unfortunately, Gold already gave this a try. Nothing changed."

Hermione sighed. "Are you sure you did it _… properly?"_

As soon as the words had left her mouth, a dark red, crimson blush flushed over her cheeks and everyone started laughing again.

Neville, Ron and Draco whispered something he couldn't quite make out, the Weasleys, Fleur and Luna chuckled. Rolanda and Augusta tried – in vain – to calm the hysterically laughing silvery-eyed wizard down.

Relieved, Harry saw that a small smile was also playing around the Transfiguration Mistress' lips and even Snape struggled to keep his usual neutral expression.

"Honestly, your father wouldn't believe that his little girl has just said something like this, " Dan laughed and smiled brightly at his niece and right when her cheeks had reached a sort of normal white-ish colour again, yet another blush turned her creamy cheeks into a bright crimson again.

"I can assure you, Hermione," Xemerius said in-between laughers, "the boy fulfilled his job exemplary!"

"Who did what exemplary?" The voice of Madam Pompfrey asked as the mediwitch neared the table; holding two plates of food in her hands.

"Nothing important, Poppy," Rolanda answered smirking.

The mediwitch raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Instead, she walked right over to Harry and Hermione and placed the plates right in front of them.

"Now, since the two of you are apparetnl unable to quit stumbling from one adventure into the other, have at least something to eat before that mirror of yours sucks you in once more."

Both Harry and Hermione smiled gratefully at the elderly witch, whose blonde hair was already streaked with parts of grey.

Harry examined the contents of his plate and realized that his stomach has been grumbling for quite some time already, so he eagerly stated eating.

"Speaking of eating!" Xem pointed out, jumped up from his chair and extended his arm to the Transfiguration Mistress, who looked at him questioning.

"We are getting you some food," the silvery eyed wizard explained in a surprisingly demanding voice.

"Xem, I really don't – "

"Wait, wait, wait," the mediwitch interrupted and glanced at Professor McGonagall accusingly. "You still haven't had anything to eat yet?"

The witch in question just rolled her eyes. "Heavens, Poppy…" she mumbled rather exasperated, "stop making such a fuss. I really – "

"Ah! No excuses this time, Missy!" This really left no room for any further argumentation.

Reluctantly, she got up and leaned heavily on her walking stick; at the same time mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "You sound like my mother…"

"Oh, believe me, Min, if Rose were here today, she'd be totally agreeing with Poppy!" Rolanda said, smiling kindly.

"Probably…" said the emerald eyed with a soft, but sort of sad smile.

Then she glanced once more down to Arina on the bed and sighed.

"Until we have figured something else out, there's nothing we can do for Arina now, Min," Xemerius added upon noticing the witch's sad look.

"I know…" the emerald eyed witch mumbled and Harry knew that she hated it to just sit around, unable to do anything to help the daughter of her – probably – best and oldest deceased friend.

"Come one, now, let's go," the silvery eyed wizard repeated.

"Yes… yes… just a moment, please…"

Bending down, and ignoring the obvious pain the action caused her, she brushed her long, delicate fingers once more through Arina's black, curly hair, whispered something Harry couldn't quite understand and then gave her a small, soft kiss on the forehead.

.

However, before she was able to completely turn around to link her own arm with Xemerius', yet another circle-ish wave of golden light erupted around Arina.

Harry rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming, because this time, the light was at least four times brighter than when Dan had kissed his wife. But it actually wasn't necessary, because he somehow _felt_ the magic ripping right through him and everyone else that was standing in direct distance to Arina.

Ron, Neville, Draco, Luna, Aberforth and the other Weasleys also sat at the Round Table with utterly stunned expressions.

Fleur used her hands to touch her legs, stomach and finally reached her chest. "What just 'appened? Did yu feel tzis, too?"

Ginny, Augusta, Rolanda and Madam Pompfrey just nodded wordlessly, and continued to stare at Arina open mouthed.

Hermione, like Harry himself, had immediately jumped out of her chair and took a few steps closer to her aunt.

Xemerius, Aidan and Professor Snape were all simply standing there and staring at the emerald-eyed witch; silver, brown and black eyes wider than Harry had ever seen them.

And Professor McGonagall herself, still leaning heavily on her walking stick, looked like she also had trouble understanding what exactly had just happened, so she looked helplessly from one to the other; though her emerald eyes were sparkling with hope.

For a moment, it seemed like the entire scene had been frozen. That was, however, only until the soft and weakly whispered "Holly Morgana…" was heard, followed by an almost invisible movement from the previously injured black haired witch on the bed.

.

Suddenly Arina's bright blue eyes opened and she slowly looked around, searching for something. But Harry could see that she was still a little confused and not quite herself yet.

Dan's healer instincts kicked in immediately and he was by his wife's side only seconds later. "It's alright, Princess…"

"Harry…?" His name was said in nothing more than a soft whisper, followed by a little cough.

The black haired young man immediately stepped forward so she was able to see him. "It's alright, I'm here," he assured her smiling and took her small hand in his own. "And I'm fine, thanks to you."

Hermione also came closer and sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling brightly at her aunt.

"You gave us quite the fright you know…" the young witch pointed out and gestured towards the more and more relieved looking people at the Round Table.

Arina looked a little guilty, but her blue eyes finally started to clear up, and they wandered from her godson to her niece and back.

"Did – Did you really mean it?" she asked, obviously a little unsure. Though Harry didn't at first understand what she was trying to say. "What you said earlier… That you forgive me?"

Harry almost laughed out loud when he finally got what she meant. Smiling, he shook his head a little and stared directly and honestly into the now teary bright blue eyes of his godmother.

"Of course I meant it!" The young wizard replied and softly squeezed her hand, trying to make the guilty looking witch smile again. "You _are_ my godmother. And I'm just so very glad that I have you now. And like I said; you are stuck with me now."

"And with me, too!" Hermione added, smiling brightly.

This said, Harry and the brown haired witch quickly glanced at each other and without words, they embraced the blue-eyed witch lovingly.

Despite the tears of relieve that were running freely down her cheeks now, the blue-eyed witch was giving him a soft, tiny smile. "Thank you," she whispered, "thank you both so much."

Loosening the embrace, but still remaining close to the black-haired witch, Harry glanced around again.

Molly was crying as well, Arthur softly patted his wife on the shoulder; Ron, Neville Bill, and Draco were all grinning and holding their thumbs up. Fleur had apparently conjured some tissues and passed the ones she didn't use herself around. Ginny and Luna smiled brightly at them. Augusta and Rolanda were excitedly and quietly talking to each other with the occasional gesture towards Arina.

Xemerius wore a bright, sheepish grin on his face, meanwhile still supporting the Transfiguration Mistress, who had apparently dropped her walking stick in shock due to Arina's enexpected awakening.

The young wizard didn't know why, but he looked a little closer at the emerald eyed witch and assumed that she had to be in some kind of shock – after all, she hadn't spoken a single word since the blue-eyed witch had woken up.

All she did was stare at Arina with her dark, emerald eyes and silent tears flowing down her cheeks.

"But wait – how do you even know what we said?" Hermione suddenly asked and looked at her aunt with a rather confused expression.

Turning his attention back to his godmother, Harry glanced around and saw that the others were apparently wondering the same; including Dan and Professor Snape who had started whispering to each other, though Harry couldn't understand what was being said.

Arina whipped away the last remains of her tears and opened her mouth to answer the question, but was interrupted by the unkind voice of Aberforth.

"Hold on a second," he grunted and stared from Arina to Harry and back to his niece again. "You're his godmother? Potter's godmother?"

Arina raised her eyebrow in a very Professor McGonagall style and looked at him with a challenging expression.

"Yes, I am," she stated matter of factly, but Harry smiled when he heard the pride that was lingering in her voice. Then she looked at the white-bearded wizard with angry blue eyes and a challenging expression. "Now, is there some kind of hidden meaning underneath your question or should I just assume that you are not familiar with any sort of politeness?"

Harry's eyes widened at her sassy response and he saw that he wasn't the only one who had to bite back a rather unfitting giggle. Though he had to admit that the smirk Professor Snape wore at the moment was resembling Xemerius' and that was something completely new.

Dan looked pretty pleased with his wife's answer and he softly stroked her shoulder.

Aberforth had apparently not expected this. He stared at Arina completely dumbfounded.

"I suggest," Snape's deep voice sounded from behind Arina, and the witch's head jerked up at hearing it. "I suggest that you think about what you are going to answer before you speak."

Abe just nodded wordlessly and continued to stare at all of them.

"Sev!" Arina exclaimed smiling and tried to sit up straight to face him completely.

"Slow down, Princess," the blond haired surgeon said a little concerned, though Harry could see the joy and relieve that was sparkling in his brown eyes upon seeing his wife in an already better state of health.

And despite himself, the boy-who-lived chuckled when Arina stubbornly shook her head, ignoring her husband's advice, and tried to push herself into a more upright position in order to get a better sight; only to end up sucking in a sharp breath and clutching her bandaged chest with a pained expression.

Snape shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes but in a somewhat caring way. He walked around the bed so the witch could look at him. They exchanged a look, which said a lot more than words.

"You know, I'm still waiting for the day when you'll finally listen to what I have to say…" Dan chuckled, then carefully pulled his own arms around the black haired witch and simultaneously conjured a big pillow, which he pushed behind her back. His wife smiled at him gratefully and whispered a quiet "Thank you."

"Haha! That was a good one, Aidan! I doubt you'll ever see that day coming… One can say that the famous Gryffindor stubbornness is practically encoded in Arina's genes… It gets passed on from the Queen to the Princess..." Xemerius laughed and promptly got another elbow in the ribs, this time however by the mediwitch.

" _Really_ , Xem," she said scolding and turned towards Arina. "Honey, don't listen to him. You know how he can be… We are all so very glad you are alright, do you hear me?"

Harry chuckled but then he saw that Arina's eyes widened; apparently she had just now noticed the silvery eyed wizard and the emerald-eyed witch that was still leaning against him. She coughed a little and was about to reply something, when Xem once more interrupted. He winked at the younger black haired witch in a really cute way.

" _Really_ , Poppy," he repeated the mediwitch's earlier phrase with a bright grin, "I have been the kiddo's godfather for long enough that the little Princess knows that I love her, right? I mean despite all the little nonsense I say every now and then."

"Little bit of nonsense…?" Rolanda asked laughing and the wizard rolled his eyes at her.

But this time, Arina chuckled, though her eyes were still focused on the emerald eyed witch by Xem's side. "Right, Uncle Xem. Besides," she added smiling and looked at Poppy, "we all know that he can be as stubborn as a hippogriff, too."

Augusta, Poppy and Rolanda burst into laughter. Xem just smiled proudly at his goddaughter. "That's my girl."

Harry laughed at the little banter between the two of them.

Now it all made a little more sense that Professor Dumbledore sent Arina to Ilvermorny, seeing that her very own godfather was the headmaster of the magical school.

His good mood was however interrupted by Aberforth grumpy voice again. "Why in Merlin's name are _you_ her godfather?"

.

The usually funny Ilvermorny Headmaster instinctively tightened his arms around Professor McGonagall, but mirrored everyone else's reaction and raised an eyebrow in a strict no-nonsense manner. "You've got a problem with that, too, Abe?"

"Well, I just find it interesting as to why my brother would name _you_ his daughter's godfather, since I wasn't aware of the fact that you were a part of the family,"

Xemerius was about to voice his anger, but his goddaughter was faster.

She ignored the window that was shattered by her uncontrolled magic and glared at the old wizard furiously.

"First of all, the term family can be seen different in everyone's eyes. I'm Harry's godmother because Lily considered me her family," the black haired witch snapped and Aberforth made a step backwards. "Second of all, I love Xem. And he is the best godfather I could ever wish for! Besides, even unrelated, he's a better Uncle than you could ever be, I'm sorry."

Xemerius was visibly touched by her lovely words; Aberforth on the other hand stared at his niece, apparently he hadn't expected such a fiery outburst.

"You don't even know me," he stated with a raised eyebrow, but Arina's blue eyes only darkened more.

"I know enough. And honestly, I wanted to get to know you, even though my parents were never really found of the idea - " she started but was interrupted.

"Of course Albus wouldn't want you to talk to me!" Abe barked angrily, "That is not the least surprisi – "

"He wanted to tell you," Professor McGonagall spoke up for the first time since she had woken Arina with her kiss. "But the letters he wrote in order to start making amends with you all received a rather insulting answer."

The younger Dumbledore brother stared at the transfiguration mistress. "You had no right to read those letters, Minerva. They were private."

The witch rolled her eyes. "He showed them to me. He had planned on telling you about Arina, but he had to make sure that you were to be trusted. But your answers clearly showed that you still didn't want to have anything to do with your brother," she explained simply and to Harry, this was absolutely logical.

Arina used her uncle's stunned silence to smile brightly at the emerald eyed witch. "Thanks for waking me up, by the way."

The Professor took a deep breath, and limped towards the blue-eyed witch. Harry got up to make room so the injured witch was able to sit next to Arina on the bed. She then softly reached out and took Arina's hand in hers and squeezed it softly. "Had I known what I had to do, I would have done it sooner, believe me, Kitten," she whispered, "But I have absolutely no idea how I did it…"

Xemerius laughed and the people at the Round Table as well as everyone else looked at him.

"It's just probably the first time I know something that Min doesn't. And it's actually pretty simple," he grinned even more upon seeing the Professor's interested expression, "The little kiss you gave her on the fore head… that was also 'True Love's kiss'; just in a different way."

Professor McGonagall's eyes as well as everyone else's eyes widened in realization and Arina carefully re-positioned herself and leaned against the elderly witch's chest. "Like I said. Thank you."

The emerald eyed witch smiled and put her own arms around Arina. "You're more than welcome, Kitten. Just do me the favour and stay away from knives in the future, will you…?"

Arina chuckled. "Believe me, I really don't plan on running into one anytime soon again…" she stopped her little joke upon seeing that the emerald eyed witch looked at her with a rather pleading expression. "I'll try, I promise."

"That's all I ask for."

Several 'awws' and 'oohhs' followed, but Aberforth once again interrupted.

"I'm sorry, but I really want to know what I did that you are not even willing to give me a chance to get to know you, properly," he said and looked at Arina with a raised eyebrow. "I _am_ your uncle, after all."

The blue-eyed witch ignored the professor, who had rolled her eyes at the older man.

"Like I said, I wanted to get to know you. I really did!" Arina's voice sounded colder than Harry had ever heard her. "But well, you just accused my father of sleeping with hundreds of women, you basically called me a the unfortunate result of a one-night-stand and my mother a whore… So I am sad to say that I can finally see now why my parents were rather hesitating about introducing you to me."

.

For a moment, no one said a single word. Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna stared at the scene openmouthed. The other Weasleys, Hermione, Dan, Snape, Draco, Augusta and Rolanda looked equally surprised. The transfiguration Mistress' emerald eyes had widened, but she didn't say anything and even wore a tiny, almost undetectable smirk on her face. Xemerius on the other hand looked like a little boy who had just been handed a giant birthday present.

"You – you heard that?" The old wizard stuttered, obviously taken aback.

Arina glared at him. "As I was trying to say before you interrupted me the first time: Yes, I was able to hear everything while I was under this 'sleeping curse'. You should have listened to my husband. He isn't called the best for nothing."

Aidan chuckled and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Thanks, Princess. But it was more of a lucky guess than actually knowing it for sure."

Harry chuckled when he saw that the blue-eyed witch rolled her eyes at the people around her and looked at Aberforth again.

"You know, considering all the lovely things you mentioned about my family; especially about my mother… I'm actually quite astonished that you are still amongst the living," Arina mentioned casually, but her eyes still sparkled angrily, "She usually doesn't take it well when people insult her the way you just did..."

"Fine. Then, why don't you tell me who she is, so I can make an apology?" Abe asked in a not really convincing manner.

"Apart from the fact that I doubt _one_ apology will be enough, why don't you ask my lovely niece instead?" Arina asked and smirked at Hermione, whose eyes had grown a little wider. "I'm sure she has already figured it out, haven't you?"

Harry looked at the now blushing brown haired witch in surprise. Ever since they had discovered that Arina was Professor Dumbledore's daughter, he had had the feeling that the witch knew more than she let on.

"Come on now, _Hermione,"_ Draco smiled and emphasized her first name.

"Yes, listen to him," Ron added and grinned at Draco. "I can see it in your eyes that you want to share your information with us!"

This time, Ron got elbowed by Ginny and Fleur. "Ouch!"

"That's for pressuring your girlfriend," Ginny snapped and rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Now that's enough, children," Molly intertwined. "If Hermione isn't comfortable in saying something about it, then she doesn't have to."

Hermione shifted from one leg to the other a little nervously. "It's not that I'm not comfortable, but…" here she glanced at Professor McGonagall. "I'm just not sure if it's my place to tell."

Surprisingly enough, the Professor just shrugged her shoulders and smiled at the young witch. "Go ahead, dear."

The brightest witch of her age stared at the emerald eyed witch for a moment, then she glanced at Arina and back to the Professor. "Are you sure?"

"I have expected you to put two and two together ever since the two of you started viewing the memories in the mirror," the elderly witch spoke kindly and gestured towards the mirror which Harry had laid down on the bed with Batty. "Though I am almost certain that you knew before, didn't you?"

Hermione blushed. "I had my suspicions, but – "

"Can you get to the important thing already, and tell me about the girl's mother, Granger? " Aberforth interrupted impatiently, "or whoever Albus might have– "

He didn't finish the sentence, mainly because Snape, Dan, Poppy, Xem, Arina and the emerald eyed witch glared at him furiously.

The young brown haired witch rolled her eyes, and looked once more to the emerald eyed witch, who she only nodded.

"Well, who is it?"

Ignoring the wizard, Hermione held her glance for a moment, then a small smile appeared on her face.

"It's Professor McGonagall, of course."

.

The people at the Round Table cried out in excitement and eagerly glanced from the Professor to Arina and back and forth again.

Harry's eyes had also widened as he realized how stupid he had been for not recognizing the so obvious resemblance between the two witches, but before he was able to sort out his thoughts, he was distracted by Aberforth, whose head turned in a neck-breaking speed to stare at the transfiguration Mistress.

The emerald eyes of the witch sparkled dangerously when their glances met. "Seeing that the cat's out of the bag now, I want to make one thing clear," she said and Harry could see that she was struggling to keep her famous Scottish temper in control. "I can assure you, Aberforth, that I'm _not_ a dirty little slut."

Everyone looked at the emerald-eyed witch in shock, only Xemerius laughed whole-heartedly.

"Well done, Min! Spoken like the true Queen of Gryffindor House!"

* * *

To be continued :)


	13. A five for eternity

**A.N. Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter! It hasn't got another memory in it, but I still hope you enjoy it!  
**

 **Thanks so much again for all the fav/follows and reviews! You keep me going!**

 **And I am so happy! I have reached 30 revies and 80 follows! Woohoo!**

 **Special thanks to all the guests, Amiliana, Dragon Lord and TealBlueEyes for your reviews!**

 **Blue: Yes, Abe has to suffer a little but that's what he gets for insulting our favourite deputy headmistress, right? :) And yes, Minerva is just awesome! I cannot repeat myself often enough, but she is and will always be my favourite character and Maggie Smith... well she will always be the goddess of actresses!**

 **Oh, and this chappie might be a litte very fluffy... but apart from that I think and hope you will like it!**

 **and I just went through some of my papers again, which I thought I lost but actually hadn't, and noticed that I got Arina's middle name as well as her daughter's name wrong *silly me***

 **It is actually Arina Victoria and her daughter's name is Arielle (or short Elle/Ellie)**

 **By the way, I wrote this pretty late at night, and I don't want to keep you waiting, so please ignore any kind of SpaG you might notice :D**

 **Enjoy reading everyone and all the best,**

 **Lexi**

* * *

 ** _A five for eternity_**

* * *

Observing the people around her, Arina ignored the steadily increasing pain in her head, smirked a little and she leaned closer against her mother, who in return tightened her arms securely around her daughter.

It was a strange feeling to be able to display their close relationship in public after so many years of staying in the shadows. Not that she had minded it back then of course; on the contrary. The occasional secret glances, touching of hands and the very special lovely smile the deputy Headmistress had only reserved for her was something Arina treasured a lot. If she was honest with herself, she couldn't imagine a better childhood. _'After all, not every little girl can say that she grew up in Hogwarts'_ Arina thought, smiling.

And despite the fact that the blue-eyed witch had not attended Ilvermorny, she knew – especially from Lily and Dan – that students at Hogwarts had always respected the Headmaster and Deputy; and sometimes they even managed to see a little behind the mask of the strict, sometimes icy and stoic transfiguration mistress. Whenever that happened, they saw glimpses of the loving and caring woman Arina – and consequently Lily and Dan – were able to experience all the time.

And apart from Lily – whom her mother basically invited to live with them after some disputes with her own family – and her husband, almost no one else really knew who lucky Arina was have the mother she has.

Arina smiled when she recalled some old, but very fond memories of the wonderful witch who was her mother.

A witch who changed her name, hair- and eye-colour in order not to be recognized while shopping in Diagon Alley with her daughter; a witch who surprised her students in dismissing the transfiguration class earlier than it was supposed to end so she could pick a little blue-eyed girl up from a muggle-kindergarten in time; a witch who sang little Arina a lullaby so she could fall asleep; a witch who was afraid beyond belief when her daughter's name was chosen by the goblet of fire; a witch who loved her husband in secret and calmed a shocked Professor Dumbledore down when he discovered that his little girl had a boyfriend. She was a witch who simply skipped a staff meeting, ministry appointment or other events she was needed at to sit down on a sofa to put her arms in a comforting gesture around her heart-broken girl; and she was a witch everyone thought to be lonely and heartless, who in reality was the most caring and loving person Arina had ever seen.

And even though it had not always been easy, Arina had understood from very early on in her childhood that her parents loved her more than anything; despite the fact that they could never show it openly. She was used to the secrecy – after all it was for her own protection. And being a mother herself now, she felt exactly the same. Arina would do anything to ensure Arielle's safety; or Harry and Hermione's for the matter.

It was the same with her parents' marriage. Yes, it probably wouldn't have been good for her mother's reputation had someone discovered that her employer was also her husband – even though she _was_ one of the most skilled witches in the wizarding world and therefore deserved the job. No, the real reason for the secrecy was because her parents were _afraid._

Yes, the considered to be most powerful witch and wizard of their times were afraid. Her father had always feared someone would threaten his wife or daughter to make him do things. And Arina was sure he would have given them anything to ensure his family's safety. Her mother on the other hand, who had not always been a Professor at Hogwarts, was afraid that someone would seek revenge for the things she had done in her years as an Auror. _She has already lost a lot of people… and what sort of revenge is better than hurting the people you love?_ Arina thought, _'It was exactly as the bloody pink toad said…'_

Only a few people had known about the two Professor's marriage (and ultimately their daughter) it in the first place. Amongst them were Xemerius and Poppy; both of them trustworthy enough to be named Arina's godparents.

Arina also knew that both Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel had known since they were her father's probably oldest friends. She also suspected that another one of her mother's friends – a young Squib the transfiguration mistress had met a long time ago but not seen again in ages - to know something, but the blue-eyed witch wasn't quite sure about it. Her mother had only mentioned her once or so, and Arina – who had never met the woman in person - couldn't even remember her name… _was it Abigail… Emily… Vici… Lorelai… or Elizabeth…? Ah, well, it doesn't matter anyway._

Well, and naturally Aidan has been trusted with the secret once he and Arina started dating. The blue-eyed witch smiled upon remembering the stunned expression on her now husbands face when she had told him that he was involved with the Headmaster's and Deputy's daughter. Ultimately, Dan's father Max and his sister Jean were informed, too.

And of course, Lily knew, too. Arina had always wished for a sister and her wished came true when her mother delivered the red-head's Hogwarts letter.

The blue eyed witch still remembered it as if it was yesterday… Her father had to attend an important ministry meeting, so no one could watch her. Ultimately, the transfiguration mistress took eleven-year-old Arina along to the Evan's house; safely transfigured in a little kitten and securely placed in her favourite bag. Lily's parents hadn't really been fond of their daughter being a witch, so the young red-haired witch had to make a difficult choice: Stay at home or go Hogwarts and leave for good.

Of course, it was an unbearable question for an eleven-year-old, and to this day Arina couldn't believe that Lil's parents had really done this to her.  
' _No wonder Petunia is the way she is now…'_ the blue eyed witch thought bitterly.

Well, but despite the cruelty of the situation, it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Arina smiled when she remembered her mother's out-of-the-blue words that day:

 _._

" _Lily, dear, look at me, please," the transfiguration mistress had said softly and the tear-filled emerald eyes of the little red-haired witch looked at her. "You are not a freak. You are a wonderful little girl who will – with the right education – turn into an equally wonderful and skilled young witch. But you have to follow your heart and decide who you want to be and where you want to go."_

 _Young, teary and frightened emerald eyes met slightly older, wiser, but lovingly looking emerald eyes. "I – I can't," Lily had said and tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I – I don't have a-anywhere to live if I l-leave my parents. And – and I d-don't want to be alone."_

 _Arina's mother had bent down and taken Lily's little hand in hers, stroking it softly. "Lily, if you want to be part of_ our _world, you are welcome to live with me," she had offered softly to everyone's surprise, but her emerald eyes shone with complete honesty and protection. "I promise, you will never be alone."_

 _._

And that was the moment a life-long friendship had started.

 _Oh, Lily…_ Arina thought and her heart ached with pain upon remembering her best friend and almost-sister.

Shaking her head, and with it the thoughts about the past, she looked around again.

It was indeed a strange feeling to sit here in the middle of the hall, with her mother's arms tightly around her; but strange in a really good way.

Naturally, they were all staring at them. But the blue-eyed witch hadn't expected anything else upon the other's discovery that the various rumors about the former Headmaster of Hogwarts and his Deputy Headmistress were indeed true.

Amused, she watched her godfather, who was still laughing whole-heartedly and Madam Pompfrey, her very own godmother, looked at least a little surprised. Apparently the mediwitch hadn't expected that the emerald-eyed witch would allow Hermione to spill her well-guarded secret.

Molly Weasley on the other hand had her hands pressed over her mouth; probably trying to calm her excited self down.

Arthur Weasley had his arms around his wife and his mouth opened and closed like a little fish.

Arina's smirk increased when she saw that all his children – including young Ronald, Bill, George and Ginny – wore the very same expression as their father. Draco, Luna and Fleur's eyes had also widened.

Turning her head slightly, Aberforth came into sight. He was still sitting on the little chair; obviously shell-shocked about the recent family developments.

The younger ebony haired witch sighed quietly. She hadn't planned on being so harsh on her uncle, but his constant insults about her parents caused that her inherited Scottish Temper got the better of her. Deep down, she really wanted to get to know him. _Only time will tell…_ she thought and decided to ponder about it sometime else.

Sighing, Arina moved her head once more and this time her eyes landed on her husband and Severus. Both of them had rather silly smiles on their faces.

She narrowed her blue eyes at them and chuckled. The two of them were clearly amused by the whole scene that was enfolding in front of them, but since they had known the secret for quite some time already, it was no wonder.

Glancing over to her beloved niece and godson, Arina's smiled widened. Hermione smiled proudly and she had every right to do so. After all she had figuring out the probably best kept secret in the whole wizarding world. _Well, maybe not the_ whole _wizarding world,_ she smirked.

Harry on the other hand first looked a little shocked as well, then his features softened and a sheepish grin spread across his face. Arina chuckled when she heard him mutter something along the lines, "Merlin, I should have known!"

Looking further around she spotted Moody, Rolanda Hooch and Augusta Longbottom; three of her mother's oldest friends. They stared at the emerald witch in shock; open mouthed and eyes big as plates. The flying instructor steadily opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. By closer examination it looked a little like a fish out of water…

' _Oh yes, this is going to be very interesting indeed…'_ Arina thought amusedly and curiously looked back and forth between her mother and her friends.

* * *

Hermione couldn't help it but smile brightly at the scene.

She had always suspected that the Headmaster and his Deputy were more than they led everyone to believe. But experiencing their memories, Professor McGonagall's reaction upon Professor Dumbledore's death and seeing the knife that was stuck in Arina's chest and the fact that she was able to wake the blue-eyed witch up made the young witch grasp the whole picture.

' _They look so cute together,'_ the young witch thought when her eyes fell on Professor McGonagall, who had her arms wrapped around Arina in a lovely and protecting gesture.

Harry also grinned from ear to ear and Batty, who had been sitting on the bed as well, jumped on Arina's lap as good as the little animal could.

Another moment of silence passed before a rather unusually high-pitched and excited voice was heard.

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait! So _you_ and Albus…?" Aberforth stuttered shocked and looked at Minerva with big pale-blue eyes.

Minerva just nodded. She wasn't really sure if she had her Scottish temper in control just yet and for Arina's sake she tried not to hex Albus' brother into next century.

A small smile appeared on her face when she felt her daughter's hand softly squeezing her own.

The transfiguration mistress noticed that Alastor was also staring at her and it almost looked like his magical eye was about to fall out. "So all these years… the two of you were… _together_?"

"Well, married, actually," she pointed out and the expressions that graced everyone's faces were priceless.

Then, Minerva heard a whole hearted and simultaneous laugh from Severus and her son-in-law.

"Honestly, Mad-Eye," the potions-master laughed, "Gr – _Hermione –_ figured it out and she has neither a magical rotating eye, nor has she seen a completely nervous and unbearably edgy Albus whenever Minerva went on a mission for the order."

Alastor swallowed hard; clearly embarrassed that he hadn't noticed this obvious connection and his eye rotated like crazy.

When her eyes looked at the young brown-haired witch, Minerva smiled upon seeing her blush.

"Besides, apart from the fact that she is only _slightly_ older," Dan tried his best to emphasize the word slightly, "Arina and Minerva look exactly the same.

"And it's actually pretty amazing that barely anyone made that quite obviously connection in the first place," Xemerius laughed and Minerva shrugged her shoulders.

"The mind sees what it wants to see…" Minerva and Arina mumbled at the same time.

"Now that was scary!" Ron laughed and his friends joined him.

Aberforth looked impressed. "It's true, she has Albus' eyes, but she _does_ look like you… That's why you went to Ilvermorny instead of Hogwarts, didn't you?" He directed the question at Arina, who nodded.

"Well, though I kind of ruined that plan with the Tournament…"

Harry laughed out loud. "Yeah, these are pretty unpleasant in more than one sight…"

Minerva smiled when the young wizard seated himself a little closer to them; taking his godmother's other hand in his own.

"I really don't want to interrupt this lovely banter," Molly pointed out, smiling. "But I'm sure I'm not the only one who wonders about for how long you and Albus have been married."

Luna, Draco, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Harry and Hermione looked at her excitedly. Arthur, Alastor, Bill, Fleur and Augusta also seemed curious. Only Aidan, Severus, Xem and Poppy didn't, but that wasn't surprising since they already knew.

"Well…" Minerva began sadly and looked at the people at the 'Round Table', "what day do we have today?"

"May second, I think…" Hermione pointed out smiling and the others nodded in agreement, "I'm still having trouble with it considering all the nights we haven't slept and all…"

"Thank you, dear," the emerald eyed witch said and tried hard not to let the tears that had started to form in her eyes fall, "well, then it would have been 43 years in exactly three days time…"

.

A rather stunned silence followed. The younger students as well as most of the adults – excluding Severus, Aidan, Poppy, Xem and Arina – stared at her with wide eyes.

"Fourty-three years… that must have been in 1955 if I'm not mistaken…" Hermione – always the bright school-girl – had calculated and looked at Minerva and her aunt.

The emerald eyed witch nodded smiling.

"That's the same year my mother was born," Draco added smiling, "By the way… Do you think she might be allowed to stay with me at Hogwarts? I know we both did things we're not really proud of, but she left my father and – "

"Mr. Malfoy," Minerva started.

"Draco, please, Professor."

" _Draco,_ like I told you already. Everyone deserves a second chance. And I have known her before she married your father… back then, she was a lovely little girl who wasn't able to harm a fly. Tell her to come, Hogwarts is - "

"Don't change the topic here, Min!" Augusta interrupted and Minerva cringed. She knew that she had to tell her friends some day, but at the same time she had always dreaded it.

"1955 you say? That was about a year after graduation." Alastor said in a rather monotone voice.

Minerva once again felt everyone's eyes on her and she took a deep breath; she knew what was about to come next.

Augusta excitedly pointed a finger at her. "So – So your _companion_ to the graduation ball… the one you ended up snog- "

" _Augusta,"_ Minerva said in a warning tone, though she couldn't prevent the bright, crimson blush that flushed over her cheeks.

Neville's grandmother cleared her throat, trying to cover up her laugh. "Excuse me, I meant to say the one you ended up _examining the Hogwarts Rose Garden_ very closely, was actually Albus?"

Minerva wanted to curse when she blushed even more.

"But he was blond with brown eyes," Alastor pointed out confused.

"Yes, but Albus doesn't have magic and therefore isn't able to change his appearance, right?" Xem asked, sarcasm was basically dripping from his mouth and everyone laughed again.

.

"So that's how you did it?" Molly asked astonished. "Whenever you were to be seen together in public, Albus changed his appearance?"

Minerva chuckled and nodded. "Well, most of the time it was me who changed clothes, hair and eye-colour, but yes, that's basically it."

Several 'ooohhh's and 'aahh's were heard from the people at the 'Round Table' but the one that caught Minerva's attention was Aberforth.

The wizard had been relatively quiet during the last minutes and only listened to the conversation. Now, however, he took in a sharp breath and looked at the emerald eyed witch; guilt clearly written in his eyes.

"That's why Albus was always seen with another woman whenever he had attended a public event," he muttered and guilty pale blue eyes met emerald green ones. "But in truth it was always you, just in disguise."

Minerva simply nodded.

The younger Dumbledore brother sighed, but his eyes never left hers. "I know I screwed up and I don't expect you to accept my apology, but I _am_ sorry. I truly am."

Arina also looked from her uncle to her mother with big blue eyes; and so did Harry, Hermione, Dan, Severus and the rest of the 'Round Table'. Well, except Rolanda, but in the meantime she had at least managed to close her mouth…

"You are right, I will take a little more time… but I am relieved you understand it a little more now."

Abe nodded and now he even looked a little impressed. "You know… it's quite amazing that this was all it took to mislead people…"

"The mind sees what it wants to see, Abe," was all Minerva said, and she smirked a little when the wizard shook his head, chuckling.

Arina, who had apparently been holding her breath, sighed in relieve. She opened her mouth and was about to say something, but she was interrupted by Augusta.

.

"Aaahh! But why in Morgana's name didn't you tell us, Min?" Augusta squealed like an excited school-girl and almost jumped up from her seat at the 'Round Table'. "We – I mean, you and Albus and– "

"What did you say about forming a complete sentence, Gran?" Neville mocked sweetly at seeing his usually strict grandmother at a loss of words.

"Oh, you…" she replied and playfully nudged her grandson with the copy of the daily prophet that had been laying on the table, causing everyone else – including Minerva – to chuckle. Well, everyone except Rolanda, who still seemed to be in some kind of shock.

"No, but in all honesty now, Minerva," the witch with the weird hat continued and gestured towards to blue eyed witch, "Albus being you husband and employer surely wasn't the entire reason. Everyone who knows you also knows that you are the best in what you do. Why going through all the trouble and keeping your relationship, let alone _marriage_ hidden from the rest of the world?"

Minerva sighed and swallowed. She knew that she had to be careful with what she said or tears would end up streaming down her cheeks. So she looked at her long-time friend with sad emerald eyes.

"Of course people would have talked – heavens they still do. But that was the smallest issue, actually," at the confused glances she continued, "Albus was first and foremost scared that someone would use me against – and ultimately Arina – against him."

"And he would have given everything to keep them save," the voice of her son-in-law added and Minerva smiled at the young surgeon.

"Well, I wouldn't say everything – " Arina was interrupted by Xemerius' and Poppy's simultaneous "Of course he would have!"

"I told him that I was able to very well take care of myself, but he insisted and in the end I agreed to keep our relationship as quiet as possible and professional to the outside," Minerva added.

There was another moment of silence.

"So that's why Professor Dumbledore wanted no-one to know about his – your daughter?" Young Draco Malfoy then broke the silence and not only Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Harry and Hermione looked at the Slytherin surprised.

Minerva smiled at the young man. _Your mother would be proud of you, my boy,_ she thought fondly.

"Partly. Though – "

"But why not just pretend that she's only yours? Leave Albus and your marriage completely out of the whole picture?" Augusta interrupted irritated. "Times change. It's not like when I got pregnant that a child out of wed-lock would cause a scandal! And you don't say a word now, Poppy!"

This said, not only Neville stared at his no-nonsense Grandmother. Poppy who was grinning from ear to ear surprisingly didn't say what Minerva knew was already on the tip of her tongue.

Minerva stared at her friend surprised. _I never thought you'd bring this issue of yours ever up in public, Auggie…_

Then she felt her daughter's chest move and she heard a quiet giggle.

Minerva rolled her eyes, but smiled.

''' **Stop reading my thoughts, kitten,'''**

Arina giggled even more. **'''Sorry, I simply couldn't resist the temptation… though I haven't done it in quite a while actually,'''** her daughter answered her back via leglimency.

''' **Well, I suppose that has something to do with the fact that I haven't seen you for almost a year, love,'''** Minerva answered back, **'''But you only wait until Arielle picks up on this way of communication.'''**

''' **Oh, Ellie would never – '''**

''' **Are you sure? Don't forget that she's** _ **my**_ **granddaughter,'''** Minerva asked and she was sure that her daughter _felt_ that she was smiling a tiny, wicked smile. **'''and you may I remind you that you did the same, kitten? Just wait until the day comes when the little girl pops into your head; completely unexpected and in the most inappropriate of times.'''**

''' **Lovely. I cannot wait for that to happen…"**

''' **Oh, you will be having** _ **so**_ **much fun. Believe me, there's no better occlumency training than this!'''** Minerva laughed inside her head and so did her daughter.

''' **You will be the first to know when she** _ **attempts**_ **to try it,'''** Arina silently answered and Minerva felt that she was also laughing, but there was also a wave of a 'warm' feeling coming towards her. **'''Though considering that they will be spending a lot more time with me and consequently you, Harry and Hermione will probably adapt to it first, won't they?'''**

Minerva smirked. **'''Well, once they got used to the idea of their aunt and godmother being strict old McGonagall's daughter…'''**

''' **Don't be ridiculous,'''** Arina interrupted and the emerald eyed witch felt that she was shaking her head, **'''You** _ **know**_ **that Hermione has always adored you and Harry does, too. And they haven't even seen the 'real' you; just the teacher persona…'''**

''' **I hope you are right, Kitten. You know they do mean a lot to me.'''**

''' **I know and soon they will, too,'''** the younger ebony-haired witch replied and smiled, **'''By the way, have I told you lately that I love you?'''**

Minerva squeezed her hand softly, but answered her equally wordlessly. **'''I love you, too, kitten. So very much.'''**

Over the years of their relationship, Albus and Minerva had developed this rather unique way of communication and recognizing each other's emotions and feelings; and of course, within time Arina had learned and adopted how it worked. And even though Minerva was at first very surprised to have her daughter talking to her inside of her head, in the end it proved to be a rather useful advantage in the one or other situation…

And considering the very close connection the both witches shared due to the fact that they were both animagi, Minerva was glad that in this case she was able to prevent that _all_ her feelings were sent to her daughter… Right now, she wasn't quite ready to talk about -

"Yes, that would have been a way, wouldn't it?" Aberforth asked confused, an eyebrow raised and ended the quiet conversation between mother and daughter.

.

Shaking her head, the emerald witch turned her attention back to the people around her, who were still hanging excitedly on every word she said.

Xemerius and Poppy rolled their eyes and Minerva sighed. "I could have."

"Well, then why didn't you?" Molly and Augusta asked at the same time. Alastor, Arthur, Bill, Fleur and the rest of the people – apart from Xem, Poppy, Severus and Aidan – looked equally confused.

"Because," Minerva started and looked at her long-time friend with now teary emerald eyes, "because you know very well that everyone I've ever loved is dead. My parents, Athena and Albus… the all died because of me. And I couldn't let the same thing happen to my daughter."

Here she was interrupted by Augusta's and Alastor's sharp intake of breath.

"Even if that meant keeping your godmother from you, Mr. Potter, " here her eyes moved to look at Harry apologetically, but her arms had tightened – if possible - even more around Arina. "And I dearly apologize for that."

To her surprise the black-haired young man just smiled kindly at her and reached out to touch her hand. "It's Harry, remember," he said smiling and despite her best efforts Minerva chuckled along with Arina. "You had your reasons, Professor. And I'm just glad I have her now."

Minerva sighed in relieve and blinked away the tear that she knew had formed in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

All the adults who had known Minerva from their days at school were quiet now. Rolanda still hasn't moved a single muscle, but Augusta had tears welling up in her eyes. Alastor was also breathing hard. The younger one's – including Harry and Hermione - looked a little confused at the transfiguration mistress.

 _Of course… how are they supposed to know what happened…?_ Minerva thought bitterly.

''' **You don't have to do this, Mum,'''** Arina's voice once again sounded in her head.

''' **I know. But – '''**

Their wordless conversation was interrupted once more by the young Slytherin's voice.

"What happened to them?"

A short sob was now heard from Augusta and Poppy, who had been there on most of the dreadful days in her life.

Minerva saw that Xem handed her one of his handkerchiefs.

She took a deep breath but before she was able to answer the question, Xem spoke up.

"They got murdered by some of Grindelwald's followers and before you say anything, Min, this wasn't any of you fault." The silvery eyed wizard explained and eyed Minerva sharply, who had already opened her mouth to reply something differently. "They were both pure-bloods who fought for the resistance and the fact that Apollo had been Minister of Magic during these years only made him a bigger target. And Athena…"

"… also died sooner than she should have." Poppy finished upon seeing her best friends haunted expression.

"And Albus' hand was cursed; that's most certainly not your fault either," Aidan pointed out.

 _I wish it was that easy…_ Minerva thought sadly.

"Be that as it may," the emerald eyed witch then said rather quickly to avoid the topic, "The fact remains that I keep losing the people I love."

"Athena… Arina… Ariana…" Aberforth suddenly mumbled and then looked from Minerva to Arina and back to the emerald eyed witch; his eyes even glistening with tears.

"You named her after both of them, didn't you?"

Minerva smiled and squeezed her daughter's hand softly. "Yes. Two beloved sisters who died far too soon… And somehow we even managed to mix their letter's together to have a beautiful name."

"My, that's such a lovely idea!" Molly said, but she wasn't able to stop the tears from flowing. Ginny and Arthur both put an arm around the Weasley matriarch and Bill and Ron handed a tissue to Fleur, whose eyes looked also quite watery.

"Well, considering all the creativity," Arina added to lighten the mood, "Victoria as a second name seems pretty simple doesn't it?"

Everybody laughed again, and Aidan took a few steps forward and gave his wife a kiss on the lips. "Perhaps. But I still like it."

Minerva smiled. "So do I."

' _And just because you don't know her kitten, doesn't mean your second name isn't dedicated to another very important person…'_

This seemed to be the end of the conversation, and people started to talk with one-another again when suddenly another, rather loud, voice was heard.

.

"MINERVA ESMERALDA McGONAGALL," Rolanda Hooch suddenly shouted, wildly gesturing with hands and feet.

Minerva visibly cringed at the tone and – probably even more – at the use of her second name.

Instinctively, she tightened her arms around Arina and turned her head ever so slightly to look at her other yellow-eyed long-time-friend.

"You have been married to Albus – who by the way is also a good friend of mine – for almost 43 years and no one knew?!"

"Rolanda…"

"No, Auggie! Why telling Xem and Poppy and not us?"

Neville's grandmother now looked at the emerald eyed witch with one eyebrow raised. "She's got a point. After all I thought we were your friends, too…"

"Augusta – "

"From what I know," Arina interrupted her mother, "Mum and Dad made a sort of deal back then. They agreed on telling only two people each. Two and not more."

"And, I don't want to gloat here," Xemerius pointed out proudly, "But Min chose Poppy and me, whereas Albus told Nicholas and Perenelle, didn't he?"

Both Minerva and Arina nodded.

Augusta seemed a little sad, though convinced. Rolanda on the other hand, not.

"Well, the thing about hiding your marriage is one thing," she continued and got up from her chair to stand in between Harry and Hermione. "But you also have a by now already grown-up daughter together AND YOU DIDN'T BLOODY TELL ME ABOUT IT?!"

"Rolanda…"

"A daughter! I still cannot believe this... How in Merlin's name…?" This time the flying instructor didn't finish her sentence and sat down next to her old friend, Arina and Harry on the bed.

"Well…" Minerva grinned, "you have been married three times Rolanda… I was under the impression that you know very well _how_. Thoug if that's not the case, you and I should have a serious conversation..."

.

A roar of laughter errupted from the people around her and upon seeing some of their eyes staring at her in surprise, Minerva also blushed a deep crimson.

"You know, I don't sarcasm is the right way to go here..." Arina pointed out in between laughers.

Xemerius was almost rolling on the ground and even Poppy had laughing tears in her eyes.

"Brillint, Min, just brilliant," Xem shouted.

Minerva blushed even more when she realized that the young adults were all staring at her.

 _They probably hadn't expected me to ever say something like this..._

Rolanda also stared at her in shock then started laughing like a maniac.

"Minnie, Minnie, you shady lady! I admit that was a good one! All these years you lead everyone to belive to be the lonley and life-less teacher... and in truth - "

"Rolanda - " Arina tried her best to spare her mother any more embaressing commentaries.

"Oh, don't you defend her dear," the flying instructor said, but smiled at the beautiful blue eyed witch. "She hasn't told me about your existence, she has to suffer a little bit now!"

"Would it help if I told you that you are listed in my paters as one of my emergency contacts?" Arina offered.

Rolanda's eyes widened. "Oh, am I? Now that's new... why didn't I know about that, Min? Oh right. I forgot. Because I didn't know you had a daughter in the first place!"

Minerva glanced at her daugher and rolled her eyes. "You are not helping, kitten," she whispered, but for some reason everyone had heard it and started laughing again.

"Oh, and don't you think for one second that I give up just now, Min. I won't let you get away without spilling some of those dirty little secrets of yours!" She said grinning and her yellow eyes sparkled mischievously.

Minerva groaned. She had no doubt about that.

"But that can wait until we have a little more privacy. For now, the least you can do," the flying instructor said with a faked hurt voice, "is show me that bloody wedding band of yours. I have never seen you wear it. Though I'm sure you have one!"

Agreeing voices joined her and Minerva sighed, but smiled. There was still the smallest of chances that Rolanda forgot to ask her about the _private details..._

"Fine," she said and looked at Aidan. "Would you mind…?"

"Not at all," the young surgeon said and came closer, "I'm glad you actually listen to me and don't use magic."

"Well, believe it or not, I am quite capable of listening."

She held up her hand for everyone to see and Adian waved his wand, and suddenly, two elegant golden bands appeared on the witch's ring-finger. The first one – probably the engagement ring - was slightly plainer than the other one; only a simple, but astonishing green emerald in the middle. The actual wedding band was also held in gold, but had five small, but sparkling diamonds in it.

All in all, the bands were nothing too extravagant. Delicate, elegant and beautiful; perfectly fitting for the emerald eyed transfiguration mistress.

Rolanda immediately grabbed the hand and pulled it closer to her; almost throwing Minerva and Arina from the bed.

Upon seeing the rings, her eyes went wide. "Holy Morgana! These are incredible!" The flying instructor exclaimed completely overwhelmed with the beauty of the rings. "I never thought Albus had such a good taste. Can you take it off, please?"

Minerva looked a little uncomfortable. "Actually, Ro… I've never taken it of since Albus…"

Rolanda stared at her friends and revelation slowly dawned in. "Oh Merlin, you're a widow!"

The emerald-eyed witch gave un uncharacteristically dry laugh. "You are a great observer, Ro. Though I would rather avoid that particular term if you don't mind…"

But never the less, she took the ring off and handed it carefully to her friend.

Rolanda looked at it and saw the small engraving on the inside; right behind the five diamonds.

" _05.05.55, A five for eternity,"_ the flying instructor read confused. "What's that?"

Minerva felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "It' our wedding date. May 5th , 1955."

And she remembered the day Albus gave her the ring as if it was yesterday…

" _I love the date," her younger self had said with a bright smile when she leaned in to kiss her fiancé lovingly. "Is there a special reason you chose it apart from the fact that it is easy to remember?"_

" _Well," Albus had replied after the kiss, "Let's just say, that I'd like to think of it that way: each five is a promise. To love, cherish, trust and protect you from this day on to all eternity."_

 _The young witch's eyes filled with tears. "A five for eternity."_

Minerva's heart still warmed up and started beating faster every time she thought about that day.

But deep down, she also knew that it wasn't only the 5th of May 1955, but also January 5th of the same year that was very special for her… Just that was a day Albus had never known the importance of...

* * *

Severus also took a step forward to get a better look and upon seeing them, his eyes widened and he dropped his wand in shock.

Then he looked at Arina, Hermione and Harry. "You have to come me with me immediately."

"Severus? What is going – "

"Please trust me, Arina! It's important!" He urged and whispered the next sentence in her ear so only the blue-eyed witch could hear it. "It's about your father, A. Don't tell anyone just yet, but I think might still be alive!"


	14. The mind sees what it wants to see

**Hello lovielies! I thank you all so much for your lovely reviews!**

 **Paige: I love it that you notice all the little details I so carefully plant into my story! *hugs* And I'm sorry I didn't answer you asap; but my internet is killing me these days. If you're still interested I'll send you a pm with _some_ more details. Though I'm not going to tell you everything; that would spoil all the fun :D **

**guest: sorry I don't know what else to call you :) I'm very glad you like it so far and I will add a family tree once I'm finished with this story. (though at this moment I have no idea when this will be :)**

 **But I added one on at the bottom of my profile already! You all are free to check it out :) But be careful, there are some spoilers for all the ones who so wonderfully pick up on tiny little details X)**

 **dsky: Woohoo; high five to yet another MMAD shipper *hugs* I'm happy to hear you find my OC's interesting! I was at the beginning really worried that they'd turn out to be very mary-sue-ish...**

 **Amiliana: so nice that you stick with me even though I don't update as often as I'd like to! xoxo**

 **Sonja: Thank _you_ for readig my story! And yes, I totally adore Arina and Minerva's rs, too (if I might say so myself:)**

 **Blue: I really couldn't resist with this cliffie X) But here's the next chappie and it's an extra long one :)**

 **...**

 **By the way, I plan on 'resurrecting' yet another character (I am a sucker for second chances...) At this point of time, I've got two possible characters in mind. But I am open for suggestoins from you all. Anyone else you'd really like to see in this fic? :)**

 **...**

 **all the best, Lexi**

* * *

 **The mind sees what it wants to see**

* * *

 _.  
_

 _ **ENTRY 666 OUT OF THE BOOK:** **'Poisions, pain and torture methods - the darkest of of darkest curses'**_

 _ **.  
**_

 _ **Nr. 666.: 'Mors ad crutiam' - 'Death via torture'** _

_One of the most cruel and painful ways of dying known to the wizarding world._

 _The poison, made from the seeds of the Belladonna flower, mixed with the leaves of the Asphodel and the very rare but deadly dragonmoon-water is not often used; even by witches or wizards with experience in the Dark arts._

It's creation, however is very difficult and as dangerous as the poison itself; seeing that the steaming potion is also very likely to kill instantly. Only a handful of people have mastered the difficult task of brewing it and lived to tell the tale.

 _The desired effects are down right cruel._

 _Once in the 'Mors ad crutiam' enters the bloodsystem (only a sinlge little scratch is enough to get infected) the posion turns the victims magic against him/her and tortures the infected witch/wizard from the inside out;_

 _The more magical power the witch/wizard posesses, the more painful it will be. The degree of pain can be compared to the crutiatus curse - only worse and over a longer period of time._

 _(and of course, the more magic is used, the more pain will be shot through the body; at the most unexpected of times.)_

 _In the end it even let's the target relive their most painful memories over and over again; it therefore has the haunting techniques of a nightmare-potion._

 _ **Surviving rate:** None so far. Death approximately 6 month after infection _

_(give or take; depending on victims inner strength. The longer one they lives, the stroner the pain gets)_

 _ **Cure:** None yet known to the wizarding world. _

_._

* * *

Hermione's eyes widened. Her father had often complained about the fact that the young witch's ears were better than they should be allowed to.

And even if she wanted to, she wasn't able to say anything. So she just stared from the equally wide eyed Arina to Professor Snape and back to her aunt.

Quickly glancing over to Harry, the young witch noticed that he had also heard the softly whispered words the potions master had whispered into his godmother's ears.

"Gold," Severus said rather harshly and his black eyes focused on the surgeon. "Can she walk?" He asked without further ado and gestured towards Arina.

Dan raised an eyebrow. "Well technically, yes but – "

"That's good enough," the potions master interrupted, helped Arina up from the bed and put his arms around her to support her still rather weak body.

"Severus, what in Merlin's name are you doing?" Professor McGonagall asked with a worried glance and looked at the younger man picked up his wand and - in a medium speed – started to drag her daughter out of the Great Hall.

"I'll take care of her, Minerva, I promise," he shouted back. "Pott – _Harry,_ Hermione, come along."

Surprised, Hermione jumped up and she didn't know why, but she quickly squeezed Professor McGonagall's hand in a way of telling the older witch that she would look out for her aunt. In return, she received a grateful look and a thankful smile.

Harry also got up from his seat, and in wise foresight grabbed the Mablomi with one hand and Batty with the other; then the two of them sprinted after the potions master.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Draco asked the question everyone else was probably wondering about.

Ron, Luna and Ginny just shrugged their shoulders; Arthur, Molly, Bill and Fleur looked equally confused; Xem, Alastor, Poppy, Aberforth and Augusta all sat there with their eyebrows raised and Dan as well as Minerva stared after Arina, Severus and the two-third of the golden Trio.

Rolanda on the other hand had her eyes still fixed on Minerva's engagement and wedding ring. Turning both of them several times, she tried to slip them over her pinkie.

"Holy Morgana, how thin are your fingers, Min?" She asked astonished as the rings got stuck half way through.

Minerva shook her head and tried to believe that Severus would keep his promise to take care of her daughter. Then she turned her head to look back at Rolanda, though she didn't really know what to say…

But Rolanda just grabbed her hand and held it up for everyone to see.

"Merlin, why do you have such long, elegant fingers and I don't…" she asked, but slipped the fingers back on their rightful place; Minerva's ring finger.

"Thank you, Rolanda."

"May I see the engagement ring, Minerva?" Abe asked to her surprise. But she nodded and gave it to him.

He inspected it for a moment; then a small smile appeared on his face. "That's my grandmother's."

Minerva nodded and looked down at the emerald ring. "I know. Albus told me when he gave me the ring. I just – "

Abe held up his hand and smiled again. "I'm glad you have it, Minerva."

Emerald eyes widened. "I have to admit I didn't expect that, to be honest."

The younger Dumbledore brother chuckled.

"Always good for a surprise," he replied. "But I meant it. Now I know that it's not rotting away in an old box or something like that. Gram would have wanted that. Though you don't happen to know anything about the where-abouts of Ana's phoenix-necklace, do you? Back then I handed it over to Albus but - "

This time it was Minerva who interrupted him. She turned her head and looked at him with kind, sparkling emerald eyes.

"Arina has it now," the emerald eyed witch answered and Aberforth closed his eyes for a moment relieved, nodding in affirmation. "Albus gave it to her the night she was born."

Again, a couple of 'ooohs' and 'aawws' were heard from the remaining people at the round table. It was Augusta who spoke up next.

"Speaking of brith… now back to business, Min," she said and the emerald-eyed witched cringed again. "When's your little girl's birthday?"

Minerva was – positively – surprised; knowing both Augusta and Ro… she hadn't expected his kind of question.

"February first," she answered smiling.

"And the year?" Alastor asked curiously.

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "1960, why?"

Alastor, Rolanda and Augusta, as well as Abe, Molly and Arthur looked at the transfiguration Mistress curiously.

"Well, that means you got pregnant during your fourth year of teaching at Hogwarts?" Rolanda's statement sounded more like a question.

' _Wonderful',_ Minerva thought and resisted the urge to roll her eyes, ' _and here they are: the nasty little private details… '_

"I mean, I've been there the whole time," the flying instructor continued a little confused, "How's it possible that I didn't notice."

"I'd like to know that, too," Auggie added and glanced at Minerva with a raised eyebrow. "No matter how many concealment charms you and Poppy tried to cast on me back then, there was a limit of three charms a day. And none of the lasted more than two ours."

Minerva chuckled. She did indeed remember their rather adventurous sixth school year by heart…

"Remember that one time during the end of school exams, Auggie, when we already started calculating at what time we had to cast the bloody spells?" Minerva laughed and so did her old friend.

Neville, however, looked at his grandmother with a newly found admiration.

"Oh I do, especially when Professor – "

"Don't let her change the topic, Augusta," Alastor interrupted.

Once again, Minerva felt all eyes on her. Ronald, Ginny, Luna, Neville and Draco also wanted to know more about the story.

"It was a lucky coincidence," Minerva answered and shrugged.

The utterly confused glances the witch received from the people around her meant that had to elaborate a little further. But before she got the chance to do so, Poppy decided to help out.

"There's a gene running in the female line of the old Pendragon Family that provides the women with a natural concealment charm."

"Well, most of the time," the emerald eyed witch added, smirking a little, "I was told that sometimes it also happens to skip a generation or two."

Everyone looked quite impressed. Augusta, however started cursing quietly.

"Do you realize how bloody unfair that is, Min?"

Xemerius laughed out loud, got up from his chair and sat down next to the transfiguration mistress on the empty spot on the bed. And Minerva herself couldn't help but smirk at her old friend either.

The emerald-eyed witch had always dreaded telling her friends about her secret. She wasn't really sure why, but mostly because of the fact that she did withhold the truth. Minerva was sure that none of them would have spilled a word about Arina had they been told, but the danger of being captured and tortured until there was no other choice but giving information was a risk not worth taking.

With a shudder, Minerva remembered the time she had been brought to the old estate… the cold, brown eyes that had stared at her with pleasure and delight… the way he waved his wand and sent one crutiatus after another at her…

"Are you alright?" Dan's concerned voice and his carefully placed hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present.

She quickly shook her head and tried to get rid of the pictures that had – despite her best efforts – burned themselves into her mind.

Minerva simply nodded, though she knew that her son-in-law didn't believe her.

"Pendragon… Wait, that means that you also played the blonde, long-legged and blue eyed witch who visited Arina during the tri-wizard-tournament and wore big, round sunglasses all the time?" Rolanda asked once again. Like the others she was oblivious to the concerned expression on Dan's face and the look he gave the emerald-eyed witch.

Minerva smiled. She'd never admit it, but she actually liked to show her side of the proud mother she had always been hiding.

"Esmeralda Pendragon, right?" Rolanda continued with a raised eyebrow. "Argh. You're the only one I know whose middle name is Esmeralda! I should have known."

"The mind sees what it wants to see, Ro," Minerva answered smiling.

"And when I first saw the Ilvermorny students, I even told you that Arina looks exactly like a younger version of Minerva," Rolanda told Augusta with a very exasperated gesture; but the smile on her face betrayed her real mood. "And she outright denied it!"

"She never denied it, Ro," Xem came to Minerva's defense and she looked at her old friend gratefully. She didn't know what she would have done without him. "She merely said… wait, let me quote it: _'Oh really, Rolanda? Well, the mind sees what it wants to see, I guess.'"_

"Why doesn't it surprise me that she said something like this?" Moody asked and Rolanda, Augusta and the other remaining adults laughed along with the younger people.

However, Minerva also observed that Draco was moving back and forth on his chair and looking at her with curious eyes.

"Is there something you'd like to ask Mr. Malf – _Draco?"_ the emerald eyed witch asked the blond haired slytherin kindly.

Obviously surprised that she had noticed him, the young man bit his lip. "Well, it's just… You said this gene is passed on to members of the old Pendragon line…"

"That is correct."

Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville looked at the Slytherin expectantly. "Well, this means you're a direct descendant of Morgan Le Fay, doesn't it?"

Now it was Minerva's turn to bite her lip. She should have known that Draco was an expert in old and powerful pure-blood families…

"Morgan Le Fey?" Ronald asked confused and astonished at the same time.

"Yes, she was formerly known under the name Morgana Pendragon; King Arthur's half sister on the motherly side if one is to believe the rumours," Draco explained.

"I didn't know you know so much about the Arthurian-legend," Ginny said impressed.

The young Malfoy shrugged. "Pure-blood lesson one-o-one."

"But doesn't it also say that she was one of the darkest and most powerful witches of the time?" Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Only at the beginning I think," Luna answered in her dreamy voice. "But then she fell in love and changed."

The emerald eyed witch nodded. "True. She was a little dark and twisty at first, but never really dangerous."

"So you really are a descendant of one of the oldest pure-blood lines known to the wizarding world?" Draco asked astonished.

Minerva shrugged. "Yes."

Not only Draco was impressed by that, every one else at the Round Table stared at the transfiguration mistress with new found admiration and respect.

"Who did she marry?" Fleur asked curiously. "Morgan, I mean."

To Minerva's surprise it was Luna who answered again. "Why, Godric Gryffindor, of course."

Rolanda laughed out loud. "That, I believe without a doubt."

"Do you think the sorting hat called Arina 'Princess of Gryffindor House' only for fun?" Xemerius laughed at seeing their impressed looks.

.

Luckily, Minerva was spared yet another interrogation period, because two rather old looking owls came flying through one of the broken windows of the great hall.

The first, addressed to 'Chief of Surgery, Dr. Aidan Gold' was dropped on Dan's lap, the second fell on Minerva herself.

Confused, the both opened the letters. Minerva's eyes darkened with each line she read:

 ** _Dear Minerva,_**

 ** _We have urgent news about the where-abouts of Cornelius Fudge. Your presence is therefore requested at St. Mungos Hospital._**

 ** _Please come as soon as you can,_**

 ** _All the best,_**

 ** _Dorothy Holloway_**

Looking up, Minerva saw that Dan also frowned.

"Dorothy also wrote to you?" The witch asked concerned.

The young surgeon nodded and stood up. "Yes, but I fear these two owls have taken quite a lot of time to come here. We have to leave immediately, Minerva."

Minerva nodded and was about the take the hand her son-in-law had offered her, when Poppy's rather furious voice was heard. "Minerva, you'll stay here. Whatever this is about, I'm sure they can manage without you and – "

"I'm afraid they can't," Dan said and laid an supporting arm around the transfiguration mistress. "This is about a rather delicate political situation. But I can assure you, Poppy, that I'll look out for her."

Minerva almost cursed when she stood up. Pain once again shot through her, though she didn't know whether it came from her recent injuries or the old issue…

Poppy sighed. "Your word in Merlin's ear."

Dan smirked. "Don't worry, by now I know how to deal with McGonagall women."

And with that, he held on tighter to Minerva and apparated both of them to the Hospital.

* * *

"Severus!" Arina breathed heavily as they stopped right in front of the giant spiral staircase that usually offered a way up to the headmaster's office. Well, usually. Harry knew that Hogwarts had indeed been damaged during the battle, but he realized just now how severe the situation really was. The Great Hall was barely untouched compared to this area.

"Would be so kind and explain whatever is going on in that head of yours right now?" The blue-eyed witch asked and leaned on the potions master. "And what has my father to do with all this?"

Harry exchanged a look with Hermione. She was apparently as concerned about Arina as he was. After all his godmother was still recovering from her surgery…

The potions master tore his glance way from the quite instable looking ceiling and turned his head to face the witch.

"Are you able to use magic?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Arina mirrored his actions. "I guess. Now could you please – "

"We have to get into the headmaster's office."

"Severus, the way is completely blocked with rocks. Besides, I don't think the ceiling will hold for much longer…"

The black haired wizard nodded. "I was thinking about creating a small tunnel. But you're right. It probably won't be stable for long. So we have to act fast."

He drew his wand and was about to cast a spell, when Arina quickly put her hand around his face; forcing him to look at her.

"Severus Christopher Snape," Arina whispered in a dangerously low voice and the way her angry blue eyes looked at him left no doubt whatsoever that she was Professor McGonagall's daughter. "You will tell me what's going on right now or – "

"Why is it," a new voice from somewhere behind her interrupted, "that whenever I see the two of you together you are in a very ambiguous situation."

Arina, who was still leaning closely against the potions master with on hand on his face turned around; as did Snape, Hermione and Harry.

The boy who lived had known that he had heard that voice before and his suspicion was confirmed when he saw Narcissa Malfoy standing right in front of them.

.

Harry chuckled when he saw Arina cringe. She then moved her hand to wave at the blonde haired woman and smiled.

The boy who lived was astonishingly relieved to see Draco's mother. She had after all saved his life and without her, the war could have ended very differently.

And from the looks of it she seemed to be fine – well, apart from the most recent battle wounds all of them had. He still remembered Draco saying that she wanted to leave Lucius… and knowing him, a safe escape was not always guaranteed.

"You just have the talent to show up at the most unfortunate of times, Cissa," Arina smiled and gave the approaching woman a hug.

Harry was once more amazed by his godmother.

He had never expected her to be friends with the Lady Malfoy; but if she was just half as good a character judge as her mother was, then Arina had probably already been aware of the fact that the blonde has never been a real follower of the Dark Lord; and just did it for fear of her son's well-being.

"How are you holding up?" The potions master asked the blonde witch with a concerned glance.

Harry almost laughed when she raised an eyebrow. "I left Lucius. And you know it's been something I've wanted to do a long time ago. Therefore, I'll manage," she answered and gestured towards Arina. "The better question would be what have you done? Excuse my use of vulgar language, but you look like hell, Rina."

Arina laughed; only to clutch her chest again and wince slightly.

"She had a little heart to heart with a cursed knife," the potions master explained and Arina hit him playfully in the ribs for his little joke.

"Oh don't you talk. You got your throat sliced open by that bloody snake Nagini," was the sharp reply.

The potions master chuckled.

"I heard about that, too, Severus," Narcissa said worriedly. "How come you're so… "

"Alive?" he asked and smiked.

Narcissa and Hermione nodded; and Harry, too had already wondered how he had managed to survive.

"I got lucky that Arina stumbled over me at the boat house."

Arina glared a little at him.

"You got also lucky that I had my emergency stock of Fawkes' phoenix tears with me!"

"I know…" he sounded like it had bothered him for quite some time.

Narcissa shook her head. "What are you doing in this part of the castle anyway?"

"We could ask you the same question, Cissa," Arina smirked, put one strand of hair back behind her ear, opened what was left of her French-braid and put her long and curly ebony hair up in a high ponytale.

"I was looking for Draco. I told him to go back to the castle though I don't know whether or not he really did it."

"He's inside with the Weasley's and a couple of other people," Hermione answered the concerned mother.

Narcissa was apparently surprised. "He is?"

"I think he joined to lot to help restore Hogwarts a little," Snape added. "Don't worry. He's in good hands."

The blonde witch sighed in relieve. "That's good. Then I'll just write him a note. I don't want to ruin things for him by showing up uninvited."

She was about to turn around, when Harry and Arina simultaneously grabbed her hands.

"You should go inside, Ciss," Arina said encouragingly. "He already asked for you."

"I really don't – "

"Hogwarts is open for everyone," Harry told her and used the words Professor Dumbledore once used. "Besides, without you, I'd be dead now."

Arina nodded and laid an arm around the blonde witch. "Harry's right, you know. It takes a lot of courage to lie to the Dark Lord."

Narcissa looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "How do you know that again?"

The blue eyed witch just grinned; causing Harry and Hermione to smile. "I have my sources."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Hiding under an invisibility cloak is not a source, A."

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh, come on you – "

"As it is, Narcissa," Snape continued and skillfully ignored Arina, "Seeing all this damage, would you mind assisting us?"

Draco's mother turned her attention to the ton of brick, then back to Snape, Arina, Hermione and Harry.

"Why in Salazar's name do you want to get up there? That ceiling looks like it'll be collapsing any minute now…"

This time it was Arina who spoke. "Severus thinks my father is still alive and that we therefore have to go to the study up there. But so far he has lacked any kind of further information. I don't know more than you do, Cissa."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow and together with Harry and Hermione they looked at the potions master expectantly.

Snape took a few steps closer to the staircase.

"When I saw your mother's rings earlier," Snape explained with a heavy sigh, "I remembered."

"You remembered what exactly?" Hermione and Arina asked curiously and at the same time; causing both of them to laugh.

"When your father touched that cursed ring, I managed to contain it in his hand and – "

"Severus I know that can you please come to the point," the witch commanded and started pacing around.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Since the curse was fatal, there was no way to cure it."

A shadow flashed over the witch's face and her blue eyes shimmered with tiny tears. Harry felt for her. He knew what it was like to have no father anymore, but he would never know the feeling of loosing someone you loved for a long time. He was simply too small to remember that kind of pain when his own parents had died.

"Well, there was no way to get rid of the curse," Snape continued hesitantly, "so we decided removed his arm."

.

Arina, Narcissa, Hermione and Harry all stared at the potions master wide eyed.

"You did what?" Arina asked outraged, her blue eyes wider than Harry had ever seen them.

Severus cringed. "Well, Albus and I – "

"Hold on. Your father is Professor Dumbledore?" Naricssa turned her head in a neck-breaking speed to look at Arina.

She just rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"But –"

"Never mind that now," Arina interrupted her and turned her attention from the open-mouthed Narcissa to the potions master. "Removing a curse along with a body part is a highly dangerous action."

"Well, the curse would have killed him either way."

Hermione's head shot up. "So it worked."

"I don't know."

Arina suddenly drew her wand and pointed it at her old friend.

"Arina – "

"Don't you dare 'Arina me now, Severus!" She shouted and now Harry could even see the resemblance to Professor Dumbledore and the power that could be felt from her now. "Stop beating around the bush and tell me what the bloody hell happened. You used an unforgivable. I saw his body, I – I -"

The potions master took another deep breath and looked from Arina to Harry and back to his godmother, but it was Narcissa who answered.

"The Unforgivables… you have to really mean it or they are ineffective."

Snape nodded to everyone's surprise. "Indeed. When the Avada Kedavra hit Albus, it didn't kill him. His breathing was reduced to a minimum and a lot of his bones had been broken during the fall – even with the cushion-charm I had wordlessly cast. Luckily for me, no one checked if he was really dead or not. So after the funeral I opened his coffin and brought him back here to – "

"You did what?" Arina stared at him with big blue eyes.

"Would you rather I had him buried in the grave?" Snape shot back.

Upon seeing Arina's expression he continued satisfied. "I brought him back and treated the broken bones and other easily healed injuries. But whatever it was he had to drink that night… it left him weaker than we anticipated. I then cut of his hand – "

"You did what?" Arina repeated once again, though this time she was a little pale around the face. Harry had to admit that the image of his potions professor with a knife in his hand wasn't really pleasant at all. From the looks of it, Narcissa and Hermione thought so, too.

"I did ask your husband's advice a couple of month earlier and sedated him accordingly," Snape assured the by now slightly trembling witch. "And working under the Dark Lords regime helped the development of my medical knowledge. So your father wasn't the first whose arm I tried to re-grow. After that, I cast a spell your father had already prepared, that would transfigure him into one of the portraits that hang in the Headmaster's office. The sedative I gave him also caused that he was sleeping most of the time. And everything else... well, the mind sees what it wants to see."

.

A collective sigh followed his explanation; though Arina still didn't look really convinced. But at least her cheeks got their rosy colour back.

"So – So he's been alive the whole year and you just now decided to free him?" She asked quietly.

In Harry's opinion – and knowing Professor McGonagall – this was a little too controlled for a Scottish witch.

"Arina –"

"No, why now? Why didn't you tell us he was alive? Do you know how much it had hurt all of us? Or better, why didn't he say something out of his bloody portrait."

Snape sighed. "I do, Arina. But like I said, I only _just_ remembered, and so did he."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "How is that possible?"

"Because," Snape continued and looked from Hermione to Arina, "Your father wanted to make sure that my cover was safe. I don't know how, but the spell he created to transfigure him into the portrait… When I spoke the words, it somehow erased both our memories. Up until now he thought that he was a real portrait."

Four pairs of eyes looked at him completely confused.

"All I should remember was speaking the killing curse in case Voldemort might have been able to break through my mind-barrier. So the old man made sure that we'd only remember the whole story when the war was over."

Narcissa nodded. "Knowing the Dark Lord, this was indeed the best way possible to hide something from him."

"But you could have died yourself! Hell, you almost did, Severus!" Arina shouted outraged. "What would have happened then?!"

Severus visibly cringed. "Despite everyone's believes, your father is only human. And even he makes mistakes."

Arina slowly nodded and stopped pacing. "So he made sure you would only remember upon seeing something unique that would trigger your memories."

Snape nodded. "Yes, your mother's wedding and engagement ring."

The blue eyed witch once again nodded and since Harry saw that she looked more tired than before, he stepped closer to her so she could lean on him, which she did but not without whispering a little 'thank you, Harry.'

"And he had hoped that Mama would wear her rings openly in the final battle so you would see them and remember and Dad would be able to join the fight," Arina concluded sighing.

"That was the plan. We assumed that by then he would have recovered from the curse and regained his strength," Snape finished and shrugged his shoulders.

Harry felt like he was hit by a ton of bricks. Of course, in the final battle it didn't matter whether or not someone knew if the two Professors were married or not. It was a fight of life and death after all. And he had noticed that Professor McGonagall did play with her rings; she had just prevented Professor Dumbledore's little plan in joining the battle because she decided to leave them invisible.

.

"So the body in the tomb is a fake?" Hermione asked carefully.

Arina blinked. She was so much like her mother that she apparently didn't want anyone to see the small tear that had escaped her eyes.

Professor Snape shook his head. "No. I also cast a charm on the tomb that a body only appeared in case someone opened it and it vanishes after the lid is closed again."

"So to sum this whole thing up," Narcissa continued. "All we have to do is get rid of all those stones, then somehow free Professor Dumbledore and get out of the office before the ceiling collapses?"

"Yes, that's it in a nutshell."

Arina still looked skeptical. "How will we get him out of the portrait?"

Severus stuck his hand in his pocket, then held up a little piece of paper. "That's the incantation. All I need is three people to cast it and your Phoenix-necklace, A."

The blue eyed witch looked surprised, but reached into her robes and retrieved the small, but beautiful golden necklace. She was about to give it to the potions master but he shook his head. "Keep it. We're not there yet."

Narcissa drew her wand and walked further towards the stairs. "Well, then what are we waiting for?" She asked and with a flick of her wand caused the first rock to explode.

Arina and the potions master simply followed her example.

Harry and Hermione were about to do the same, when they felt the now already familiar tug in the stomach.

"Argh. Not now," Harry groaned. Arina looked around and also saw that the little Mablomi in Harry's hand was glowing again. "It's alright. I'll take it."

This said, she grabbed the little mirror just as Harry and Hermione vanished.

.

Hermione was the first to get up again. "Don't look like that, Harry. A lot of time has passed since the Mablomi last glowed. It was bound to happen."

Harry sighed. "I know. I just – I'm excited to see Professor Dumbledore again."

The young witch smiled. "I know. I am, too. But it will take some time until Rina, Professor Snape and Mrs. Malfoy will have reached the office."

"Alright," the boy-who-lived agreed and looked around. "Now where are we?"

* * *

 _People were busily running around the Plattform nine and three-quarters at Kingscross, apparently eagerly waiting for the return of their children._

 _Suddenly, the Hogwarts-Express came to a stop right in front of them and the doors opened. A hoard of children from various ages hopped out of the train and started searching for who ever was going to pick them up._

 _Then Harry and Hermione's eyes fell upon a tiny little first-year with flaming red hair and bright, emerald eyes._ Harry beamed at seeing his mother again _._

 _The little Lily, packed with her trunk and still dressed in Gryffindor robes looked around and frowned a little._

"Do you really think her parents pick her up? I though they weren't really fond of her being a witch…" Hermione asked but before Harry could answer, another voice was heard.

" _Lily! Over here!"_

 _Lily Evans turned her head and scanned the crowed. Then her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. She quickly grabbed her trunk and sprinted towards a beautiful, blonde haired woman. She wore high, black shoes, a matching short skirt and a blue blouse that only made her bright blue eyes sparkle brighter. Her blonde hair was falling down her shoulders in soft, curly waves and a pair of big round sunglasses was stuck in it._

 _Without stopping, Lily threw herself in the woman's arms and the blonde laughed. She tightened her arms around the little girl and twirled her around._

" _I missed you, Aunt Min."_

" _I missed you, too, little flower," the blonde answered and waved her wand to wordlessly shrunk the trunk. She then took Lily's hand in hers and started walking. "But we really need to hurry now."_

 _This said, they ran through the wall and around the next hidden corner at Kings-Cross; within a second, both of them were gone._

The scene changed and Harry and Hermione saw just in time as the two of them re-appeared at yet another station.

" _There she is!" Lily shouted. "Arina! Over here!"_

 _They all turned around to see little Arina arrive in a flying carriage with wings._

 _Once it had stopped, she opened the door and ran towards Lily and the blonde witch. She first hugged the elder witch tightly, then turned and hugged her best friend._

" _You're timing couldn't be better, A," Lily said smiling, as they walked out of the New-York Grand Central station. "The Hogwarts express was late. We already feared you'd have to wait for us."_

" _Really?" Arina just laughed and grabbed one of Lily's hands and one of the blonde woman's. "I actually enjoyed the Ilvermorny-carriage ride."_

" _That's good," the elder woman said smiling and squeezed both girl's hands. "I'll let Xem know that you liked it. But you do realize that I want to know all about your first school year once we're home. But for now, hold on tight, you two. One. Two. Three," and once again, they apparated away; taking Harry and Hermione with them._

 _Their final destination seemed to be a gigantic, light entrance hall. Portraits of several witches and wizards were hung up on either side of the gigantic white staircase that probably led to the next floor._

 _Both girls hugged the woman one last time before they sprinted up through one of the many doors of the hall._

" _We'll have dinner in about an hour, girls!" She shouted after them; then shook her head and smiled._

 _The woman jumped a little when a pair of arms wrapped around her and drew her into a kiss._

" _You look radiant, my dear," a younger Professor Dumbledore said and gestured towards the blonde's outfit._

 _Looking down herself, she apparently realized something; then waved her wand and the blonde hair changed into dark ebony curls, and the sparkling blue eyes turned into an amazing emerald green._

" _Thank you, Albus," Professor McGonagall said, blushing a little._

* * *

"Awww, that was so sweet," Hermione squealed and Harry too, was unable to wipe the smirk from his face. "Professor McGonagall picked your mother up and then Arina."

"Yes," was all the smiling boy said; he was more than glad that his mother got to live with the Transfiguration Mistress. It was amazing, that she only changed hair and eye colour, and still... no one recognized her.

Once agin, he thought back to what Arina had said... ' _the mind sees what it wants to see'._

And again, the scene went red and changed.

* * *

 _They landed in the Gryffindor common room. A glance through the window indicated that it was already dark outside. Apart from a couple of students, the room was empty and quiet. The only sounds came from the crackling fire in the fire-place._

 _Then, footsteps were heard that and a person came down from the dormitories._

"It's Professor McGonagall," Hermione said and Harry nodded.

 _The young witch quickly crossed the room, without paying attention to the remaining people in the room._

" _Where are you going, Minerva?" A brown haired young man with silvery eyes asked and the girl turned around._

" _I'm going out for a walk, Xemerius," was the icy reply._

 _Xem sighed and so did the two witches next to him._

" _You shouldn't go out at this late an hour," the petite blonde witch with the brown eyes said._

" _I can take care of myself, Poppy."_

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. This wasn't the young and enthusiastic girl they had seen at the quidditch game. She had dark rings under her eyes like she hadn't slept in days and there was absolutely no spark in her emerald eyes. Her voice was colder than a girl's her age should ever sound; and Harry didn't like it at all.

" _We are just concerned for you, that's all," the third witch replied. She had dark brown hair and also brown eyes. "Athena wouldn't want you to go out all by yourself."_

 _An – if possible – even darker expression flashed over the emerald-eyed girls face and her lips thinned. "Athena is dead, Augusta. Can't you all just bloody leave me alone?"_

 _With that she slammed the door and ran as fast as she could. Exhausted, she came to a stop at the small little bench next to the shore of the black lake._

 _She stared at the water for some time and Harry only noticed just now that tears were streaming down her face._

 _Suddenly a dark figure appeared behind her and put a hand over the girl's mouth._

Both Harry and Hermione screamed something, though they knew very well that she couldn't hear them.

 _The young Minerva however reacted faster than one would think: She bit the person's hand, kicked backwards with her foot, turned around and sent a body-binding charm against her attacker._

 _Breathing a little, she pointed her wand directly at the man's face; but he only smiled._

" _Well done, Kitty," he said and a confused look replaced the little amount of fear that was visible on her face earlier._

" _Who are you?" She asked in an even colder voice and without lowering her wand. "And what do you want from me?"_

" _If I tell you, will you free me?"_

" _No." Was the simple answer._

 _Again, the man smiled. "Very good. Rule number one: Never free a suspect, no matter what he offers you."_

 _The ebony-haired girl didn't say anything._

" _Now, if you might grab that little piece of paper in my pocket…. There's my identification … This position here get's a little uncomfortable."_

 _Without taking her eyes of the man, Minerva did as she was told. She opened the paper and raised her eyebrow. "You're an Auror?"_

 _The man nodded. "Indeed I am. Can you release me now?"_

" _No."_

 _Again, the black haired man smiled. "My, you're better than I thought. Rule number two: Never trust a paper unless you faked it yourself."_

 _The young girl looked like the man was a little mad. "If you want me to write these rules down somewhere I must disappoint you. I have got neither quill nor parchment with me."_

 _The man laughed and suddenly stood up. "Don't worry. I won't harm you. And no, you don't have to write them down. Though it wouldn't hurt to remember them."_

" _You could have freed yourself this whole time?"_

" _Well, your spell was pretty good. But I have slightly more experience with magic, I suppose," he said and extended his hand. "My name's Fleamont, by the way. Fleamont Potter. Current Head of the Auror Department of magical law enforcement."_

 _Minerva looked a little taken aback, but after some consideration she carefully took his hand and shook it._

" _Now, why don't we sit down?" Fleamont offered and gestured towards the little bench. "I'm sure you wonder why I'm here."_

" _You could say that, Mr. Potter," she said and sat down next to him._

" _Ah, please, everytime someone says Mr. Potter I have to turn around to notice people are actually speaking to me," he laughed. "Call me Monty. Everyone does."_

" _Alright, Monty," Minerva replied, her voice still cold and surprisingly uncaring. "What do you want."_

 _Monty laughed. "I want you."_

 _At her confused expression he continued. "I want to offer you an apprenticeship."_

 _Cold, emerald eyes softened a bit, but the girl still looked skeptical. "You do realize I am only a sixth-year student?"_

 _Monty nodded and his expression got a little more serious. "I know. But I have seen your OWL-results and I knew your mother. My condolences by the way."_

" _Thank you," the girl whispered, and for the first time that day, a little emotion was heard in her voice._

" _Your mother Rose was a wonderfully talented witch and as I have heard, she has passed on that talent to you."_

 _The girl swallowed and looked at the water of the lake. "I don't think so. I didn't even manage to keep my little sister save so…"_

 _Monty didn't say a word for a moment. "I have read a lot of files. I still want you to take the job."_

" _What job is this exactly?"_

" _Undercover missions."_

 _The girls eyes widened. "You mean the – "_

" _Ghost-missions at the Auror special forces team. Exactly."_

" _I thought they were only a myth."_

 _Monty laughed. "Well, that's how it's supposed to be."_

 _The young girl seemed to think for a moment. "Why me? There are plenty of older students with grades as good as mine."_

" _Well, apart from the fact that you are an unregistrated Animagus?"_

 _Minerva's eyes widened. "Don't worry. I'm the only one who knows. It's quite an achievement, Kitty. But apart from that, the other student's circumstances are a little different."_

 _A spark of recognition arose in the young girls eyes and she threw a little stone into the water. "I see. You want me because I've got nothing left to lose, don't you?"_

 _Monty cringed. Apparently she had hit the point. "Yes, it is a reason. I won't lie to you. These mission's you are going to part of will be highly dangerous. But despite your young age, you know what it means to lose someone you love. But the most important point for me is that I know that you will put all your power in your work. Bringing other people the justice you never got and preventing them from suffering the same fate you did."_

 _Minerva finally turned her had to look him right in the pale blue eyes. "Where's the catch?"_

" _I knew you'd say that, Kitty," he said and held her glance. "You must not tell anyone that you are working as a 'Ghost'. I will personally meet you here at a hidden corner of Hogwarts for your training. Apart from that, you should be able to find excuses to leave at night. But you're a prefect, so this should be easy. And last but not least, you must not even tell a member of your family."_

 _The young girl only laughed darkly. "That isn't a problem, Monty. You know they're all dead."_

 _Monty looked at her sadly. "Yes. I know, and once again, I'm really sorry for your loss."_

 _Young Minerva just nodded. "Alright. Where do I sign up?"_

* * *

"She was a ' _ghost'_ ," Hermione whispered with tears in her eyes. "I always thought they were only a rumour…"

"So did I, Hermoine," Harry answered and tried his best to fight the tears that were threatening to fall from his own eyes. "All I knew was that they supposedly took the most dangerous and risky missions of all. And that they hardly ever recruited new members unless – "

"Unless they were fitting in perfectly. And like Monty said, her family was dead. She didn't have anyone to lose."

Harry shuddered. "You know, I lost my parents, but I can barely remember it when they died. Remember Xemerius said her parents died when she was still at school? It must have been horrible to be all alone."

The tears fell from Hermione's eyes now. "No wonder she protected Arina the way she did…"

"Yes, no doubt about that…" was all he said. Harry didn't even comment on the fact that he had just seen his grandfather. Sirius had once told him that his name was Fleamont Potter and that he had been working for the Auror Office. Apparently the desire for this job was lying in the family….

.

Wiping away Hermione's tears, the red waves once again changed the picture.

 _This time, they landed in a small, theatre-like room, whose red chairs were already occupied. At the front, a lot of children stood on the stage; apparently acting out a school play._

 _Then, their attention was drawn to an elderly man with a bright purple suit and matching tie; he tried to walk as fast and unnoticedly as possible to the front row, where three very familiar people were already seated._

" _You are worse than a child, Albus." Professor McGonagall, dressed in a nice dark-blue muggle dress, scolded her husband, who sat down next to her on the right. Harry noticed that she wore a pair of sunglasses and had once again changed her appearance to look like the blonde, and blue-eyed woman._

" _Sorry, I just couldn't resist the chocolate cake, Minerva."_

" _I swear, next time Harry's got a school play, Dan and I go alone if you two cannot be quiet," Arina hissed, sounding exactly like her mother._

Harry looked at the stage surprised. He hadn't thought about the child play version of Shakespeare's 'A midsummer nights dream', but as he spotted the little version of himself on the stage, a smile played around his lips.

At least now he knew who the strangely dressed man in the first row had been, who had, along with the other three cheered and applauded for him whenever he appeared.

 _And if he had known, the red curtain closed and the children came to the front to bow to the audience._

 _Arina and Professor McGonagall stood up, followed by Professor Dumbledore and Aidan._

 _When they reached little Harry, Arina smiled brightly at him and clapped even more. Professor McGonagall on the other hand handed little Harry a little paper that was wrapped around a gigantic chocolate bar._

 _Young Harry beamed at them and didn't even pay attention do the older man in the purple suit or to Dan, who also gave him some sweets._

* * *

"What did she write on the paper, Harry?" Hermione asked smiling when once again red waves started to change the picture.

Harry grabbed into his pockets and took out his wallet; then he handed the little and already worn out paper to Hermione.

"' _Perfecty done, Harry. I'm so proud of you._ '" Hermione read and smiling, she handed it back to her friend.

"I have taken this paper with me all the time. And for a long time, I cherished it more than anything. Now I finally know who gave it to me."

* * *

 _Once again the scene changed and they found themselves in the Headmaster's office._

 _Professor Dumbledore had just picked up his wand when he doors flew open and Professor McGonagall stormed in._

" _Now, you've got two options, Albus," she said as she walked closer to him. "You either take me with you to the Gaunt House, or I simply go there on my own. The consequence will be the same."_

 _Emerald eyes looked at the Headmaster expectantly. Then he sighed and outstretched his arm for her to take._

" _Minerva, this is dangerous. I really don't want you there," he sighed._

 _She took his arm nonetheless. "I don't want you there all on your own either. Now can we go please? I'd like to get this over as soon as possible."_

 _Three seconds and a sigh later, they appeared in front of the old Gaunt House, where Harry knew the next Horcuxe to be hidden._

The boy who lived also knew that it was there and then that Professor Dumbledore had touched the ring that contained the resurrection stone; along with the curse that hopefully only almost killed him. What he hadn't anticipated was that the Headmaster had taken his wife along to the place; which lead to the conclusion that the transfiguration Mistress had indeed known about the Horcruxes as well…

 _For a short moment, neither of the two moved. Then they slowly walked closer to the house; Professor Dumbledore still holding the emerald-eyed witch's hand._

 _The blue eyed wizard then simply tried to open the front door, but it didn't open._

 _Upon seeing his wife's raised eyebrow he simply shrugged. "It was worth a try."_

 _Together they drew their wands and whispered all sorts of complicated spells, neither Harry nor Hermione had ever heard about. But not even a well placed 'bombarda' granted them entrance to the house._

 _Sighing, the transfiguration Mistress looked at the door from different angles. Then she sharply turned around to her husband; her emerald eyes sparkling a little._

" _Do you have that little muggle pocket knife with you? The one Aidan once got for you?"_

 _Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her request, but searched in his robes and in the end he handed her the desired item._

" _Thank you, Albus," she said and Harry's eyes widened in shock._

 _She simply removed the glove of her left hand and cut deep into the rosy flesh. She blinked for a short moment; obviously trying to ignore the pain that it caused her when she touched the wooden door with her by now bloody hand._

 _Professor Dumbledore looked at her in shock. "Merlin's beard, Minerva! What are you doing?"_

 _With her blood, she traced the frame and suddenly it started glowing and the door disappeared._

 _She then turned around and looked at her husband. "A blood entrance, Albus. The only way in is by delivering a sort of payment that is weakening everyone."_

" _Blood," he said matter-of-factly and waved his wand; a bandage appeared out of nothing and wrapped around her injured hand._

" _Thank you," she replied and kissed him on the cheek. "Now, ready to destroy this bloody Horcrux?"_

 _The headmaster nodded. "After you, my dear."_

 _Carefully, they entered and let their knowing eyes wander around every single shelf, table, chair and whatever else there was._

" _Minerva," the headmaster screamed after some time._

 _The transfiguration mistress followed him into the room and saw her husband standing over a small desk with an open drawer. "You found it?"_

" _I think so. Take a look; but don't touch it. There might be a curse or poison beyond our knowledge on it."_

 _Nodding, she stepped closer to him and upon seeing the little, delicate ring that was lying under a layer of dust in the drawer, her emerald eyes widened._

" _Albus… this stone… in the ring… it looks like… could it really be the?" She didn't take her eyes of the ring and stepped even closer._

 _Professor Dumbledore mirrored her action, but put an protective arm around her waist. "The resurrection stone, yes. I think Tom never knew what it was, though. After all, what should he use it for?"_

" _What should he use it for?" The transfiguration mistress asked in an unbelieving voice. "Just think about it, Albus. All the people the stone can bring back! All the people we never really had the chance to say goodbye to. All the people – "_

" _Minerva," the headmaster said warningly and tightened his arm around her. "I know the temptation is great. But you have to resist it. This is first and foremost a Horcrux; it's not the stone anymore."_

 _The emerald witch stared at the ring like in trance; then like in slow-motion outstretched her hand. "I can see them all again, Albus. My parents, Athena… and Aurora… All I need is the ring…"_

" _Tabby they won't be real. They don't belong here."_

 _The witch shook her head, and a small tear fell from her emerald eyes. "But I can see them again," she repeated and was only millimeters away from the cursed ring._

" _Don't!" Professor Dumbledore screamed, pushed his wife's delicate hand out of the away and grabbed the ring with his own instead; protecting her from the extraordinary powerful curse that had been placed upon it._

 _Professor McGonagall looked at her husband in utter shock. His whole body was shaking and when he collapsed on the floor, she immediately bent down on the floor next to him._

 _Tears were streaming down her face now. "Albus. No, no, no. This is all my fault," she whispered and quickly placed her arms around her now very pale husband. "I'm so sorry, Albus. Please, please don't give up. Please don't die. No, no, no, this is all my fault…"_

 _This said, she apparated both of them back to Hogwarts. "Severus… Fetch Severus…" the headmaster whispered and the emerald witch kissed him on the head and apparated once more; leaving her husband on the chair at his desk._

 _Minutes later, the potions master stormed through the door and his eyes widened at the sight._

" _Min – Min – "_

" _Poppy is looking after her," the potions master interrupted quickly and let his concerned eyes wander over the headmaster. "She was a total wreck when she appeared in my office. I ordered her to stay at the hospital wing; her hand didn't look good either. What the hell have you two been doing?!"_

 _He then poured a gold-shimmering potion over the headmaster's hand and whispered a couple of complicated spells. Then he leaned back and looked at the Headmaster with a stern expression._

" _ **That ring carried a curse of extraordinary power, to contain it is all we can hope for; I have trapped the curse in one hand for the time being —**_ **"***

"Thank you, Severus," Professor Dumbledore whispered. "I have expected a curse like this, yes…"

 **"** _ **Why,**_ **why** _ **did you put on that ring? It carries a curse, surely you realised that.**_ _ **Why even touch it?**_ **"***

 _Professor Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment. "I – I was tempted. But in the end… it was simply something I had to do…. Guided by a power much stronger than temptation."_

 _Snape looked at him questioningly, so the old wizard smiled at him weakly. "Love."_

* * *

The red waves once again started to dissolve the picture. This time, they were higher and Harry grabbed Hermione's hand because he knew they were about to be thrown out of the Mablomi again.

"He took the ring to save her life!" Hermione shouted so Harry could hear her inbetween all the red.

"I know. That's why Professor McGonagall said that he died because of her!" Harry screamed back before they were thrown out of the mirror again. He had never thought about it, but deep down he had always wondered why his wise Professor had touched the ring.

And the funny thing is that the old man had never lied. He had said the he was tempted and that he couldn't resist. He had just left out a couple of information.

' _The mind sees what it wants to see, indeed.'_ Harry thought headshaking. _'What no one saw was the act of love that made the Professor touch it in the first place…'_

.

This time however, they hadn't managed to land on their feet, so Harry helped the bushy haired witch up once more and made sure that Batty was still in the pocket of his robe.

Then they looked up and froze in shock.

In front of them stood Professor Snape, who was quietly talking to Narcissa Malfoy; next to them was Arina, who had tears streaming down her face. She was securely wrapped in a pair of strong and steady _arms_ that belonged to no other than her father. He wore a small smile on his face and his bright blue eyes were fixed on his daughter. The only difference was that his beard and hair was short now, which made him look a lot younger.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry and Hermione shouted at the same time; not believing their eyes.

Everyone looked up at the young adults; Snape smirked, Narcissa also looked delighted and Arina and her father both smiled at them brightly.

"Harry. Hermione," the old Headmaster acknowledged and opened his arms.

Without hesitation, both of them stepped into his embrace.

"I am proud of you," the old wizard whispered, "so very proud of both of you."

"So am I," Arina said and also tightened her arms around them.

"We're glad to have you back, Professor," Harry and Hermione once again said simultaneously.

The potions master and the Lady Malfoy also looked at the scene with a smile on their face.

"So it really worked!" Hermione said once they had separated again.

"Indeed it did, love," Arina smiled and tucked her aunt's phoenix-necklace back under her blue robe.

Upon seeing Severus rather stupid grin, she raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Severus?"

"Oh, nothing. Cissa and I just thought about the many possible ways Minerva is going to react once she found out that you left her in the dark about your last plan, Albus."

The elderly wizard visibly cringed. "I have to admit, my latest plan had indeed a lot of holes; and I just realized now that it might have been a grave mistake to leave her in the dark."

Narcissa laughed. "You are considered to be the greatest wizard of all times. I'm sure you will think of something."

Arina now also laughed. "The mind sees what it wants to see. But the only problem here is, Cissa, that my mother is also considered the most powerful witch alive. And she's got a bloody dangerous Scottish temper in addition…"

"That's what I'm afraid of, especially considering - "

Whatever the Professor wanted to say, was interrupted by something that had fallen from the ceiling.

"You can think about your wife's many ways making your life a living hell later Albus. We have to get out of here," Severus said and grabbed Narcissa's arm to lead her to the door of the Headmaster's study. "Now."

* * *

 **A.N. the fat lines marked with the little (*) are taken from the book. They belong to JKR, not to me!**

 **Now for all the wonderful people who made is this far, what do you think about finding a new love for our wonderful potions master or maybe even for my lovely silvery-eyed Xemerius?**

 **Let me know what you think :)**

 **all the best, Lexi**


	15. All magic comes with a price

**Hello my faithful readers!**

 **First of all I hopy you all had a good start into the new year 2017!**

 **I apologise to all of you for the - incredibly - late update. December has been pretty busy... I had my hand pretty full with writing several gift-fics for people at the Hogwarts, HPFC and Golden Snitch forums, and well, that took quite some time to be honest.**

 **Also, I had some nastly little plot-problems that caused me to re-write the chapter over and over again... I'm still not really satisfied with it...**

 **Anyway, thank you all so much for fav/following and reviewing!**

 **\- Mawenn, Ramona, Paige, Amiliana, TealBlueEyes, Jane, Rabmo: Thank you all so much for reviewing! You really kept me going and motivated! I'm really glad you like it so far!**

 **\- AmericanMuggleborn: Yes, even after reading the books and watching the movies the thought about Severus being alive wouldn't quite leave my mind so... and honestly, I have no idea what really happened to Fudge at the end of the books :D**

 **\- Guest1: You are pretty good at picking up things! Tough I'm only going to say that _Albus_ is not infected with the poison...**

 **\- Scha: Oh my goodness! I'm so incredibly happy that you re-read it all again! Thank you for the reviews! (And I hate Dolores, too :D)**

 **I hope you will all still enjoy the new chapter! Tell me what you think :)**

 **All the best, Lexi**

 **.**

 **(Oh, and I will change the story title to: 'The Blood of the _Lioness_ ' - mainly because I'm thinking about writing a sort of prequel featuring Minerva's entire backstory in order... Though I'm not quite sure about it yet... what do you guys think? Should I?)**

* * *

 **All magic comes with a price**

* * *

 _Still existing fragments from the Collection of the 'Old and ancient Slytherin pure-blood family codex':_

 _[...]  
_

… _and therefore, the following rules apply for all those, who try to keep their blood as pure as possible and try to meet the high standards of our forefathers:_

 _... Marriages are to be arranged between pureblooded families only..._

 _... However both Family heads have to agree to the union of their children...  
_

 _... Women are to marry whoever the head of the family tells them to ...  
(Everyone who does not obey is to be disowned without any kind of mercy)_

 _[…]_

 _... Witches unable to bare children are to be considered marriage-unworthy...  
_

 _... Widowed witches may marry again into a pure-blooded family ...  
(children from previous marriages are to take the new Family Head's name)_

 _... Firstborn girls will automatically be replaced by the next born male in line..._

 _[…]_

 _... no matter how much younger the boy is, he will take his rightful place as the heir of the house and is to inherit the majority of the family fortune...  
(This includes children born out of wedlock)_

 _[…]_

 _... All children are to be raised according to the pure-blood standards...  
_

 _... They must be aware of the importance of their blood..._

 _...warned about the dangers witches and wizards with filthy blood can cause..._

 _... Heirs will be given access to the fortune upon reaching their 18_ _th_ _birthday or right after the Head of the family's death..._

 _... The family fortune will be stored in a vault at Gringott's..._

 _... is to be secured with a blood-magic lock, so only the rightful heir is able to open it..._

 _[...]_

* * *

"Where in Merlin's name have you been?" Dorothy Holloway's shrill voice rang through the unusually quiet halls of St. Mungos.

Minerva just rolled her eyes and sprinted after her son-in-law as fast as she possibly could - considering her still healing leg.

"Whatever owls you sent Dorothy, they must have flown a lot slower than you thought," Minerva shouted back over her shoulder, "we just got your message."

Pushing open the clean white door, she heard the nurse's mumbled "…bloody owls… will go there myself next time…"

The emerald eyed witch chose to ignore her and took a few steps forward to stand next to Aidan, whose body was already bent over the hospital bed and his eyes were quickly scanning over the horribly looking man who was lying on top of the bed.

It was true; Cornelius really didn't look good: beaten up, bruises everywhere and a deep cut was to be seen at the side of his throat.

"Peter did the surgery?" Dan asked without looking at the nurse.

Dorothy rolled her eyes. "Yes; and Dr. Pearlman won't stop talking about how he saved the life of the one and only Cornelius Fudge… You know there was a reason why I specifically asked for you to be on this case! Someone his age shouldn't be allowed to perform surgeries anymore anyway! Oh, and don't look at me like that, Minerva. The way he keeps forgetting things… one would think he's not 30 but at least 60 years older than we are!"

A soft chuckle was heard from Dan. "Don't be so mean, Doro. He loves his job."

The nurse only raised her eyebrow and even Minerva had to admit that she looked quite scary now. "You love your job, too, Aidan. But you don't kill your patients because you accidently use the wrong medications!"

"True," the young surgeon mumbled, picked up the chart and scanned the information written on it. "Let's wake him up, shall we?"

Minerva's eyes widened in surprise. "You can do that?"

He just shrugged. "It's worth a try. We probably don't have much time before the exhaustion causes him to pass out again… but we need answers, don't we?"

The witch just nodded and watched in amazement as her son-in-law easily and skillfully injected several different medications into her old school-mates blood system.

A few minutes passed without changes; then, after she had almost given up Cornelius lazily opened his eyes.

When he was fully awake, the monitors next to them began to race; indicating that his heart was beating much faster than it should.

"Mr. Fudge," Aidan said in a very professional voice and laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "You're in the hospital. I'm Dr. Gold and I'm sure you know Professor McGonagall?"

His swollen eyes wandered over to look at the transfiguration mistress. "Mi- Min-n-nerva…"

Despite their well, rocky past, Minerva reached out to take his shaking hand in her small one. "Cornelius, we don't have much time. We need to figure out who did this to you. Can you remember anything?"

"The smallest of detail will help us," Dan added.

The former Minister only shook his head vehemently. "No, no, no… so m-much p-pain… I c-can't…"

"Yes you can," Minerva urged him, "For Merlin's sake you managed to remain sane even with Dolores around you… I honestly doubt-"

"Do-Dolores," Fudge breathed and held his hurting head with both hands now. "She – she trapped… helped h-him t-to…"

At times like these, Minerva was overly grateful to have her animagus hearing. "Dolores had something to do with this. I should have known."

A window exploded behind her as the transfiguration mistress thought about who that bloody toad had not only killed her beloved little sister, but how she almost managed to do the same to her daughter.

Aidan sighed and waved his wand to repair the damage; then sent a glare towards the transfiguration mistress that clearly said 'Don't. Use. Magic.'

"Cornelius," Minerva tried to ignore the stern glare and focused on the man in front of her. "Who was it she was working with?"

The man's eyes started to roll. "C-can't t-tell. S-spell t-to p-prevent t-that."

The emerald eyed with looked up at her son-in-law with concerned eyes. "Who ever this was used probably a dark magic spell to prevent somebody from telling something."

"These exist?" Dorothy asked astonished. Minerva had to admit that she had almost forgotten that the nurse was still with them in the room, but she nodded.

"Not anymore. Most of these specific books had been destroyed after Grindelwald's defeat…" she mumbled, lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

"So whoever HE is, he is most likely the same age you are. Or a lot older," the young surgeon added, grinning slightly as he noticed Minerva's mockingly raised eyebrow.

"Fudge, how did he look?" Dorothy asked from her place at the door.

But the old minister just shook his head even harder than before. "Ch-changes c-constantly. H-hair, e-eys, a-always d-different."

"He's a metamorphmagus?" Dan asked, concern clearly evident in his voice.

"N-no. H-he u-uses s-spells a-and-d-d…" the last words were nothing more than a stutter before his swollen blue eyes finally rolled backwards and closes

Minerva sighed. This wouldn't get them very far. She feared that there was no other way than having the nice and already long overdue chat with Dolores…

Dan also sighed, injected him something else and handed the chart to Headnurse Holloway. "That's all we get right now. He'll be out for quite some time now… Dorothy, please keep me up to date."

"You're going back to Hogwarts? Well, then at least take this card… it belongs to the man who brought Fudge here… Just in case you have any questions."

"Thanks, but this has time. Oh, and next time you want to reach me, use the pager. It is far more reliable than that owl of yours," the young surgeon told her smiling brightly.

Upon seeing Dorothy nod happily, he followed the ebony-haired witch out of the room.

Minerva was about to take a left turn in order to get to the Hospital exit, when Aidan softly grabbed her arm and lead her in the opposite direction.

"I thought we are going back to Hogwarts?" The witch asked confused as he opened yet another door and offered her with a swift movement of his hand to enter.

"We are. But I really need to change this coat," he winced and gestured towards the bloody white coat. "Besides, you really need to eat something now or Arina and Poppy are going to kill me in a very painful way…"

* * *

Hermione breathed hard when she came to a stop right in front of the Great Hall's double doors. She bent a little forward and put her hands on her knees in order to be able to breathe better. It had been a close call; the ceiling was even more instable than they had anticipated and they had been running the whole way from the headmaster's office to this place.

Finally looking up, the young witch noticed that she wasn't the only one who was slightly panting. With a small smile she noticed that Prof- _Severus_ was still holding Narcissa's hand. Harry had told her that the potions master had been madly in love with his mother Lily for quite some time… but perhaps the end of the war also offered a second chance for him – and Draco's mother.

Turning her head in the other direction she saw Harry and Professor Dumbledore as well as the golden wedding band he wore on his ring-finger; naturally matching Professor McGonagall's. However, both of them had one arm each around a slightly pale Arina; trying to steady her as well as possible.

"Are you alright, Rina?" Hermione asked her aunt concerned.

The ebony haired witch only nodded, but since she gave her a small smile it was alright.

"Is there a special reason that and old man like myself looks better after a sprint like that than a young witch like you, my love?" The now short bearded man asked his daughter with a raised eyebrow.

"We – We had a little confrontation with the oh so lovely Mrs. Umbridge… but don't worry… just give me a couple of seconds and I'm as good as new," Arina answered, leaned further against him and used her other hand so softly squeeze Harry's shoulder.

The headmaster's twinkling blue eyes darkened a little. "We?"

"Well – "

"There is more history between Minerva and the stupid toad than she led people to believe, isn't it?" Severus asked the headmaster.

The older man sighed. "Unfortunately yes. Is she alright?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. She was amazing."

"I have no doubt about that," the headmaster and Narcissa said at the same time; causing both of them to chuckle.

Arina just rolled her eyes, and walked – still Harry on her side – towards the doors to open them. "Oh, before we enter, Dad, you should know that… well, _Uncle_ Aberforth is also here."

Hermione noticed that the Headmaster raised an eyebrow once more, but in the end he only sighed. "Well, I wanted to talk to him anyway… so I better get it over sooner rather than later I guess."

Since her aunt just stared at the elderly wizard, Severus rolled his eyes, and rather impatiently opened the door himself. With a gesture of his hand, he mentioned for everyone else to step through.

.

The remaining people at the 'Round Table' reacted in exactly the way Hermione had expected them to do. Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Neville, Ginny and Ron stared at the approaching wizard open mouthed, Augusta, Rolanda, Poppy, Moody and Aberforth's eyes had at least double their size, Draco also looked a little surprised but his main attention was focused on his mother, who still walked right next to the potions master. The young Slytherin jumped up from his chair and quickly walked towards his mother, who immediately took him into her arms. Well, and Xemerius almost chocked on the sip of water upon seeing his best friend's husband all up and alive again.

And of course, they all started talking at the exact same time, so Hermione barely understood anything.

"What in Merlin's name-"

"Albus, how –"

"You've got to be kidding me – "

" _Bloody hell_ – "

" _Ronald_ , watch your language!"

Hermione chuckled at seeing Molly scold her boyfriend; but in the end she took pity on the red-haired young man and kissed him lovingly on the lips before she sat down on his lap.

In return he wrapped her arms around her and whispered, "tell me I'm not going crazy, Hermione."

The young witch shook her head and leaned against his chest; waiting in anticipation for what was about to happen next, but it was Arina who spoke up first.

"Where is my mother?" She asked concerned and scanned the whole hall, but most people had apparently returned to their work or – as Hermione noticed – since it was slowly getting dark outside, a couple of them were already sleeping on tiny beds in their conjured sleeping bags. "Come to think of it, my husband isn't here either."

"They both got an urgent owl from St. Mungos and they left immediately. Some sort of political situation, I think," Ginny explained, though she was still staring at Professor Dumbledore, who was apparently a little relieved to be given a little more time to think about a way to tell his wife about his faked death…

Harry took this opportunity to sit down on the empty chair next to his girlfriend. He also gave her a sweet kiss before he turned his attention back to the current situation.

"Are you real?" Neville finally asked the question everyone else was probably wondering about. "Sir?" He added after a moment of consideration and a glare from his grandmother Augusta.

The headmaster laughed whole-heartedly. "Indeed I am, dear boy."

"How?" The simple question came from Aberforth, who was staring at his brother as if he had seen a ghost; _'Which is actually not all that wrong,_ ' Hermione thought and a small smile was playing around her lips.

The white-haired man sighed and he held his brother's glance for a moment. "A couple of spell here and there. It was mostly Severus' work really…"

"That's all you're going to tell us?" Augusta asked a little outraged.

"If you're really that interested in the works of these special charms, I will gladly explain it to you Augusta. Though I was always under the impression that charms has never been your favourite subject…"

The old witch rolled her eyes and elbowed Rolanda who had started to laugh. "Alright, alright. What about the short version?"

But before the Professor was able to answer, Xemerius did – even though he was grinning over both ears.

"Just look at him Augusta. Give the man a break. We should be happy he _is_ alive. And I think he is not in the mood to answer all your questions after he just got back into the world of the living. Besides, I'm sure that his brilliant mind is already going over the many possible ways of what Minerva might do to him once she's back."

This statement seemed to calm Neville's grandmother down, and an evil smile replaced her outraged expression. "I hope you are aware of the fact that I'm still extraordinary angry at the both of you for keeping us in the dark about your marriage – and your daughter!" She said and gestured towards Arina, who was once again leaning against her father.

The considered to be most powerful wizard of all times winced under the witch's expression. Hermione assumed that he had also known her for quite some time; and whenever a woman was looking at someone with this particular evil expression, one had to be careful.

"But," Rolanda added with the same evil grin, "we will get at least a little revenge once Minerva is through with you… That will partly make up for the fact that you didn't tell us about, well, the two of you. It will be spectacular to watch."

Once again, the headmaster cringed and took a deep breath. "I'm always happy to be able to amuse you, Rolanda…"

"What were you thinking, Albus? Leaving her in the dark for all this time?" Madam Pompfrey's voice was angrier than Hermione had ever heard her and she watched as the medi-witch started pacing around; her angry blue eyes never leaving the white-haired man. "She was a wreck!"

"I know-"

"She worked herself half to death to distract herself so she didn't have time to think about your so called death!"

"I _know_ -"

The mediwitch now stopped pacing and Hermione was really scared upon seeing her face; but she did understand her anger. After all, the young witch might have only seen bits and pieces in the Mablomi so far, but she knew that Professor McGonagall really suffered from her husband's loss…

Arina also moved with a sad look in her bright blue eyes and sat down next to Harry, who immediately took her hand protectively in his.

"You know better than anyone else that she doesn't take it well when the people she loves are taken from her!" Poppy continued and pointed at him accusingly. "You are lucky that she hasn't done something incredibly stupid! You – "

"Poppy," Xemerius laid a calming hand on the furious mediwitch's shoulder. "Let him talk."

The mediwitch opened her mouth but upon seeing the stern grey eyes of her old friend, she closed it again and just waved her hands up.

Xemerius then nodded toward the Headmaster; a clear sign that he could speak now.

"I made a mistake, Poppy. It's as simple as that," he explained and a pair of sincere blue eyes looked first at the mediwitch, then at his daughter and finally at everyone around him.

The mediwitch slowly nodded and so did Xem; Arina suspiciously wiped at her eyes and gave her father a small smile. Aberforth however only coughed suspiciously.

"You really admit that you've made a mistake, big brother?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione could see that Arina's previously sad looking eyes started to glow dangerously.

The headmaster had noticed it, too and flashed his daughter a look that clearly said, _'let me handle this.'_

"Yes, I admit it as many times as you like, Abe," he finally said and his eyes locked with his brother's pale ones. "I made a lot of mistakes in my life; I admit that, too. But as much as I would like to, I cannot change the past. _And I cannot bring back Ana either,"_ he added and both brother's took a deep, simultaneous breath.

But finally Aberforth nodded slowly. "I know that. But perhaps, we could change the future," he suggested in his deep voice and looked from his brother to Harry and Arina and to Hermione. "Perhaps, we could be the family we once were."

For a moment, no one said a word; then the headmaster nodded and outstretched his hand for his brother to take – which he did. "We could do that."

"Arina?" The younger Dumbledore brother asked his niece and all eyes turned to the younger ebony haired witch; including Harry and Hermione's.

"Kiddo?" Xemerius repeated carefully and waved his hand to get his god-daughter's attention.

But Hermione's aunt just continued to stare at her uncle Abe for a moment with the same piercing blue eyes her father had. Eventually, her eyes softened a bit. "One condition," she finally said.

Abe nodded and held his niece's glance.

"Don't _ever_ insult my mother again," she then whispered, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Now it was the Headmaster's turn to look at his brother angrily. "You did what?"

"That's between my _uncle_ and me, dad," Arina answered and flashed her father a Professor McGonagall like glare that clearly left now room for argumentation.

Hermione noticed that Narcissa whispered something in the potions master's ears that caused him to chuckle.

"It won't happen again, Arina." Abe promised earnestly.

The blue-eyed witch nodded. "For your own good I hope you're right."

Xemerius just laughed. "Believe me, love, your mother will clearly show him his place if he ever says something like that again! Just wait until she hears that your father is still alive and you will see what I'm talking about. I still remember the last time she was furious with Albus…"

A roar of laugher followed his remark and they all glanced at the old headmaster who looked a little pale in the face. "Don't remind me, Xem…"

* * *

Minerva swallowed hard and put the almost empty plate down on the table next to her.

She had quickly changed her torn and bloody emerald robes and put on one of Arina's dark blue ones, which Dan had for some reason in the closet of his office. Lucky for her, Minerva had the same size as her daughter; though she noticed that she had indeed lost more and more weight in the last couple of month than she should have…

Dan, also dressed in a new and perfectly white coat, rolled his eyes at her. "That's all you're going to eat for dinner?"

"Have you seen how much this was? In case it has escaped your notice, but I'm not one of those skinny boys in their teenage years that have to eat twice as much as anyone else in order to get a couple of muscles more."

Satisfied with her answer, she watched as the St. Mungos Chief of Surgery chuckled at her remark. "Alright, alright. I get your point. I'm happy to get you to eat anything at all."

This said, he waved his wand and vanished both of their plates. Then, Aidan got up from his chair and moved over to his desk – or what was left of it, considering all the tons of paper that were currently dropped upon it.

After he had looked through a couple of them, he finally found what he was looking for and grabbed a rather thick looking file out of the pile.

Minerva raised an eyebrow and looked at him a little amused. "What happened to your desk? I'm quite sure neither Hermione nor Harry had been here lately."

Her son-in-law sighed. "Well, they do have a tendency to ruin my desk, don't they? But no, we have a couple of new nurses… sadly they have no idea where to place things… I need to have a little talk with Dorothy again…"

"Knowing Dorothy, she will be even harder on them than Poppy is."

Aidan shrugged and gestured towards the mess on his desk. "To be honest I don't really care what she does with them as long as they start working properly…"

With the hand in his file he returned to the little table and poured both of them another cup of hot and steaming chamomile tea.

"But the nurses are actually not important right now. You are," he said and his chocolate brown eyes looked at her with a mixture of sadness and sympathy before he handed her a small bottle with a light blue liquid in it.

Minerva sighed, but accepted the little bottle nonetheless. "I knew this was about more than just dinner…"

The blond man nodded. "I'm afraid so," he said. "The potion will hopefully reduce the pain a little…"

She looked at him gratefully. "Thank you."

Aidan nodded and opened the file so she could take a look at them.

Squinting, Minerva cursed her eye-sight and fished her square glasses out of the pocket of her still ruined black robe.

"They survived all this time in your pocket?" Dan laughed despite himself.

Minerva chuckled a little. "I'm quite surprised myself... But luckily I just need them to read, so it would not have been catastrophic had they been damaged in the battle. Now what do we have?"

She put the glassed on the tip of her nose and cursed. "I take it back; they did not survive," she said and showed him the broken glass.

Aidan smiled. " _Reparo_ ," he said and handed them back to his mother in law.

"Thank you, dear," Minerva said; then looked at the young man expectantly.

The surgeon held her glance for a moment, then took a deep breath. "How much magic have you used during the last school year and the battle? And this time, please be honest with me, Minerva."

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. "Too much. But there was no other way."

"I was afraid you would say that. Minerva, I can only repeat myself: the more magic you use the more pain it will cause you."

The emerald witch knew that he was only trying to do what was best for her.

"All magic comes with a price; I'm aware of that. But we both know that I will die sooner rather than later. Merlin, I'm a pure-blood witch… These lab results indicate I should have been dead months ago. So the least I can do is use the last bit of life that I have left to protect my students and my family."

Despite the fact that Minerva had never seen a more professional healer and surgeon than her son-in-law, her heart skipped a beat when she looked into his sad and but determined brown eyes.

"I will find a way, Minerva," he swore, but his shaking voice betrayed his usual confidentiality.

She sent him a kind smile. "Aidan, we've already talked about this and I accepted it by now. There is now cure known for ' _Mors ad Crutiam'_. My magic is turning against me. It will only be a matter of time now until …" she trailed off. No matter how many times she thought about it, so far she had not yet been able to actually say it aloud.

Aidan's brown eyes sparkled and he squeezed her hands. "You have lived longer than anyone who has ever been affected with the poison, Minerva. Don't give up."

Minerva returned the gesture and smiled at him kindly; at the same time trying to hide the tears that were welling up in her own eyes. ' _When this whole thing is over, at least I'll be able to see Albus again,'_ the transfiguration mistress thought hopefully.

"Aidan, look at me," she said and carefully lifted his chin; and brown eyes met watery, emerald green ones. "You have achieved more in the research than anyone else has in centuries."

"Yeah, using you like a lab-rat…" he mumbled a little grumpily.

Despite herself, Minerva chuckled softly. "Well, I'm glad this whole torture has at least one positive side," she said and realized a little too late that she should have avoided the word ' _torture'_ , since this was after all exactly what the poison did to her…

"Aidan," she continued quickly, "You did what no one else managed so far. You have at least a very possible cure-theory for ' _Mors ad Crutiam'_."

The surgeon gave a rather uncharacteristically snort.

"But that's all it is, Minerva, a _theory._ And a – in the muggle world - common blood-transplant has never been done before with magical blood and sadly transferring magic from a witch or wizard to someone else is beyond difficult – not to mention illegal because it is considered 'stealing' and therefore a major crime in this world."

Minerva nodded. "True. But that's at least _something_. Just this little flicker of hope was enough to keep me going for a little bit longer. And it's not your fault that Arina's blood and magic resemble her father's rather than mine."

Aidan sadly nodded and slowly got up from his chair. "Still, I'm not giving up just yet."

The transfiguration mistress smiled at her son-in-law. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you. And I'm so very grateful for it."

"You know, it would still be easier if you told people that you are sick…" the young man suggested as he helped her up. "Arina has a right to know that you are going to die soon."

Minerva sighed, but shook her head. "No, I haven't changed my mind. This little secret stays between the two of us. I don't want Arina to worry about me."

"She's your daughter. She would want to know if you are in pain."

"Arina hasn't been the same for a long time after Albus told her about his cursed hand. No, there's no need for her to know."

Dan knew better than to argue with his mother-in-law, so he just sighed and held out his hand for her to take in order to get them both back to Hogwarts; Minerva's medical file and medicine bottle securely wrapped in his other hand.

"Oh, and I hope you don't mind a little trip to the owlery first… I really need to send a letter to Jean and Liam."

* * *

Harry had to admit that it was true that you couldn't miss something before you really knew it.

And as he leaned against his godmother's shoulder and she put an arm around him in return, he felt incredibly relieved that he had her by his side now. There was simply something about Arina… the love and happiness that was shining in her sparkling blue eyes whenever she looked at him….

At first, Harry had indeed been a little hesitant about what his godmother would be like… and he had feared that a sort of awkward conversation would follow sooner or later. But for some reason he now had the feeling that there were no words needed between them. Arina had made it plain clear that she really did love him and this was a feeling Harry truly treasured.

And having all his friends around him made it even better.

Since Aberforth and Xemerius had been standing earlier, they had simply performed a couple of spells to enlarge the 'Round Table'.

Now they were all once again seated together; Hermione and Harry himself were both next to Arina; right next to Harry sat Ginny. Followed by Ron, Neville, Luna, Draco, Narcissa, and Professor Snape. Professor Dumbledore was now sitting at the opposite end next to the potions master. Next to him were Moody, Molly and Arthur, along with Bill and Fleur. After them came Aberforth, Rolanda, Augusta, Poppy and finally Xemerius, who closed the circle.

Arina's hospital bed had also been vanished with a quick flick of her wand. She had said something along the lines, "bad memories… and never really been fond of medical stuff either…"

Naturally, this caused everyone at the table to laugh whole-heartedly and Professor Dumbledore just commented, smirking, "Last time I checked, you married a healer, love…", which caused her to blush a bright crimson.

Due to the fact that it was already quite late, a lot of people had already entered the Great hall to catch some long-overdue sleep. Harry had been a little surprised, but after Madam Pompfrey explained that it had been decided to put up small cots for everyone, it would be no trouble. And he could see her point; like he had experienced first had, the castle grounds were still dangerous and a lot of people simply weren't ready to return to their own homes just yet.

"What was she like? My mother, I mean," Harry suddenly asked out of the blue and lifted his head from his godmother's shoulder.

Arina, who had been studying the little mablomi in front of her with new-found interest, turned to look at her godson and smiled.

"She was like the sister I never had," she said and for a quick second a small shadow flashed over her face. "The most loving and caring person I have ever met."

Professor Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "She was indeed a lovely girl and also an excellent student who turned into a stunning young woman."

Xemerius on the other hand chuckled and looked at Harry.

"Oh, and she had a temper that resembled Minerva and Arina's. From what I've heard your mother has also passed that on to you, Harry," the silvery eyed wizard laughed. "And she was most certainly not a witch to be underestimated; a little like Hermione here. Studious and bright, but whenever someone needed her, one had no doubt that she belonged into Gryffindor house!"

Harry smiled; both at the lovely tales about his mother and the fact that Hermione had blushed a bright crimson.

"And she lived with you, didn't she?" Harry directed the question at his godmother and Professor Dumbledore. Both of them nodded.

"She did?" Augusta, Rolanda and Aberforth asked at the same time.

Arina smiled. "Yes. Her parents weren't really fond of her being a witch and they gave her the choice… either forget about _'all this magic nonsense'_ or go to Hogwarts, but then she would no longer be welcome at their home."

Harry's eyes darkened. This was also new to him. But knowing how much his aunt Petunia detested magic it didn't surprise him at the least.

Augusta shook her head. "These muggles… _unbelieveable_ …"

"So you simply decided to take the girl in?" Rolanda asked and looked at the Headmaster with a small smile on her face.

The white haired old man chuckled. "Well, I didn't really have a say in the matter."

"Why is that?" Moody asked surprised. And judging by Molly and Arthur's looks he wasn't the only one.

Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "Let's just say that when I came home that day, I was a little surprised to see Minerva sitting on the living room couch with Arina one side and a little red-haired girl sleeping on her other side. And all she did was look at me with –"

"- these damn twinkling emerald eyes," Arina interrupted grinning.

"Yes," the headmaster agreed head-shakingly, "she looked at me with exactly those damn twinkling emerald eyes and all she said was: 'Please. She's got nowhere else to stay.'"

Everybody laughed and Harry grinned like an idiot.

"Really?" He asked and was completely unable to hide his amusement.

After all, despite the fact that he had learned a lot more about his transfiguration professor and really got to adore her over the years, Harry would have never imagined her to be the puppy-dog-look kind of person.

"Really," Arina confirmed and smiled at him and Hermione. "And trust me, once you've spent a little more time with her, you will see that there is so much more to her than just the role of the stern, icy and no-nonsense Deputy Headmistress."

"And as I can see the two of you are already on a very good way of breaking through the little ice-barrier she has built up around her heart," Xemerius said seriously and also smiled at the two.

Hermione returned the smile, but before she was able to say something, Professor Dumbledore spoke up.

"My dear, what are you doing?" He asked and looked at Arina.

The younger witch looked at her father and gestured towards the little liquid mirror in front of her. "It works like a pensieve," she explained and smirked at Harry and Hermione. "Created by pure serendipity, though. We're still trying to find out more about it."

"And it wasn't us," Harry quickly added and showed the sleeping little bat in his pocket to the white-haired wizard. "Batty here knocked over a couple of things…"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah, Severus told me about the mess this little creature created in Aidan's office… So its name is Batty?"

"Indeed, Professor," Luna answered, smiling.

Harry noticed that Arina had once again turned her attention back to the Mablomi. "I have to admit, I'm quite fascinated by the blood and all…" she mumbled and traced the edges of the mirror with her slim finger.

"Arina, you should be careful not to touch it," Harry advised his godmother. He had a weird feeling inside of his stomach. "We don't know what will happen when – "

But it was too late.

Distracted by her godson's voice, the blue-eyed witch's finger slipped and touched the still white-ish liquid.

Like every time it happened, Harry and Hermione got immediately sucked in, though this time… Arina followed.

* * *

Harry groaned. Not because he was hurt, but rather because he was quite frustrated that both Hermione _and_ his godmother had landed right on top of him.

"Holy Morgana," Arina cursed, got up and helped Harry back on his feet with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm so sorry, love."

Harry just shrugged. "No worries. You weigh almost nothing anyway. Neither of you do," he added quickly upon seeing Hermione's raised eyebrow.

But the brown haired witch's eyes softened again; then turned to her aunt. "You will get used to the weird feeling in your stomach after you've got sucked in here a couple of times.

Arina winced. "I hope so… it is indeed more unpleasant than I had first anticipated."

Then she looked around rather curiously and watched as the waves of red slowly disappeared to present the memory. Harry did the same; after all he also wanted to know where – or rather when – they had arrived this time.

"So this is it, hmm? What it looks like inside the mablomi?"

Harry nodded, smiling.

"Well, Harry and I or at least one of us has to come in her and watch… but you already know that," Hermione explained. "But it appears that you are able to decide freely whether or not you want to come with us since your blood is also part of the mablomi liquid. And all you have to do is touch the mirrors red surface like you just did. The only consequence seems to be that both Harry and I have to come along."

"I always had the tendency to touch things I wasn't supposed to come in contact with… It drove my parents up the walls." Arina laughed and her blue eyes sparkled with excitement. "And I know that curiosity usually kills the cat, but… this is an opportunity simply too great to miss."

Harry and Hermione both laughed and hugged the blue-eyed witch tightly.

"And we are able to spend more time with you," Harry said and beamed at his godmother, who smiled at him.

Hermione then moved her hand and pointed straight ahead. "Harry, Rina, look! The memory's ready to be watched."

"Goody Godric, this is so exciting!" Arina whispered to the young adults, a bright smile on her face.

.

 _After a couple of minutes, the first structures of the white entrance hall were visible, which Harry and Hermione had already seen in one of the other memories._

"That's the entrance Hall of McGonagall Manor," Arina explained quickly. "We used to live there when I was a child. It was a wonderful place; Lily and I had a lot of fun there."

"You're not living there anymore?" Harry asked surprised. The more he looked around, the more he wanted to know how the whole Manor looked.

"Well, your parents bought the house in Godric's Hollow and Dan and I moved into our own little flat in London," the blue eyed witch said smiling.

"What about Professor McGonagall? Where does she live?" Hermione asked confused.

Arina cringed a little. "Well… after Dad ' _died_ ' she was pretty occupied with Hogwarts… but I can imagine that if there had been a time when she left the castle during the last year, she probably would have moved a couple of things to my father's old house that is also in Godric's hollow…."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "But the Manor is hers, isn't it?"

The elder witch nodded. "Yes. But it was built centuries ago and it's still too big for a whole family, let alone a single person. Besides, my mother… let's say she associates a lot of memories with this place. I mean, she grew up here. Naturally, there are times when you simply remember things you aren't really fond of re-living again…"

Harry nodded. It made sense; he knew now that his professor had also lost her parents at quite a young age and living here probably brought up not only fond, but also terribly sad feelings.

"Do you know what year we are in?" Arina suddenly asked and brought Harry back from his thoughts.

"Nope, no idea."

Pursing her lips, the blue eyed witch took her wand from the pocket of her robe, flicked it and quickly whispered, " _anno_ _revelio_."

"There we go." She said smiling and showed harry and Hermione the little silver glowing numbers and letters that were levitating above them. "But now let's watch, shall we?"

Beyond impressed with his godmother's skills, harry turned to Hermione and smirked slightly upon seeing the look on her face that clearly said, _'why didn't I think of that?'_

But Harry only smiled and turned his attention back to the scene in front of him.

… _**October, 1935 …**_

 _And just in time to see a tiny little house elf appear who wore a surprisingly neat purple dress and opened the front door, revealing an elderly looking blonde woman, a young auburn haired man, a slightly younger blond haired teen and a little blonde girl with a small golden phoenix necklace coming through it._

" _Mrs. Dumbledore, young Mr. Dumbledore and little Miss Dumbledore," the house elf addressed the four, "Please step inside. Master and Mistress are expecting yous."_

 _Kendra Dumbledore smiled and put one arms around her daughter. "Thank you, Sunny. I take it they are in the living room?"_

" _Yes, please follow Sunny," the little house elf said and, after getting an approving look from the blonde woman, carefully extended her hand for Ariana to take._

 _After an encouraging glance from her mother and brother the little girl took it with a shy smile._

…

"I didn't know Dad looked so incredibly handsome back in the days!" Arina whispered astonished as they followed the Dumbledore family into the living room.

"I quite agree. How old is he in 1935?" Hermione asked curiously.

Arina seemed to think for a moment. "Mum was born in 1935… so he's 17 if I'm not mistaken. Uncle Abe should be 15 and aunt Ariana 13. I'm not sure about Grandma Kendra though…"

…

" _I must say this little house elf of yours is quite lovely, Apollo," Kendra said to an elderly, but nonetheless very handsome man dressed in a black smoking._

 _On his hand he wore – beside his wedding band – a rather old looking ring with his family's crest on it. One could easily see that despite his quite advanced age, he was still well trained and he had amazing emerald eyes and messy black hair just like Harry's._

 _A smirk crept over his face upon seeing his guests. Putting his newspaper down, he got up from the couch and gave all of them a hug._

" _I'm glad you made in, Ken," Apollo McGonagall said smiling and told them with a small gesture of his hand to take a seat on the remaining chairs and couch. "And yes, Sunny is - despite her young age - my personal favourite."_

 _Kendra smiled and sat down. Albus and Ariana followed her example. "Now, how's Rose? I suppose everything went well?"_

 _Apollo nodded slowly, though his forehead wrinkled a little, which betrayed his age. "Well, let's just say there were some complications… that's why they kept her in the hospital for a little bit longer, but apart from that and a little lack of sleep, she's doing fine by now. And well, she's beyond happy. We both are to be honest. She will be down here momentarily."_

 _From the way he spoke, Harry could see that the elderly man was not only as good a Minister of Magic as everyone always told him, but Apollo was also a kind and very nice man who obviously loved his wife a lot._

" _I'm glad to hear that," Kendra replied, "after all – "_

 _She was interrupted by the opening of yet another door that led to the living room._

 _In stepped a beautiful woman with flaming red hair and amber eyes. She wore a pair of relatively tight trousers that showed her slim legs and a white blouse. In her arms she carefully held a tiny newborn child, securely wrapped in several soft and green coloured blankets._

" _I apologise, Kendra," Rose McGonagall spoke in a soft scottish accent as she walked towards her friend. "I completely dozed off."_

 _The blonde woman laughed. "Oh, Rose, don't worry about that. We just arrived anyway and your husband here kept us company."_

 _Turning her head slightly, the red-haired witch gave her husband a lovely smile and Harry immediately saw the similarities to his transfiguration Professor._

" _Now let me see this little bundle of joy," Kendra said and stepped closer to Rose. "My, she's beautiful! And look at her emerald eyes! Sooner or later you will have your house full with all kinds of young men that are falling for Minerva, Apollo."_

 _The elderly man cringed. "I don't even want to think about that, Ken…"_

 _This statement made the blonde witch laugh even harder. Albus on the couch had also a bright grin on his face and little Ariana quietly observed the scene._

" _Well, she most certainly got Apo's emerald eyes and black hair," Rose continued and rocked her child a little._

" _Trust me, she'll turn out to be the perfect mix of the two of you," Kendra said and carefully held her hand over the baby, who took one of her fingers in her tiny little hands._

 _Then Ariana got up from the couch and shyly approached the adults. "Might I see her please?"_

 _Worry immediately replaced the joy in Kendra's eyes and young Albus also got up from the sofa and laid a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Ana, I don't think – "_

 _But Rose interrupted him. "It's alright. I'm sure Ana will be careful, right?" The red-haired beauty asked the little blonde girl._

 _In return she received a joyful, "Yes!"_

" _Very well, then," the scottish witch said smiling and placed her tiny daughter in the blonde girl's arms._

 _Ana looked at the tiny child in awe and her blue eyes widened. "She is so tiny!"_

" _Indeed she is. That's why you have to support her head. But in time she can get quite heavy, so just tell me and I'll take her again."_

 _Fascinated, the adults watched the blonde girl holding the baby._

 _All of a sudden, little rose-petals started to form over Ariana and they fell softly to the ground. But the blonde girl didn't even notice._

 _Her mother on the other hand did and she turned to her friend._

" _There, it's happening again…" Kendra mumbled to Rose and sighed._

 _The first Lady of Magic raised an eyebrow in a typical Professor McGonagall fashion. "But Ken, these are only flowers."_

 _The Dumbledore mother sighed. "We got lucky this time. It always depends on her emotional state; it makes her magic even more unpredictable and dangerous."_

 _Apollo used that moment to excuse himself into the kitchen to prepare some tea._

 _Once her husband was out of sight, Rose whispered, "I know St. Mungos is completely out of the question. But what would you say if I try to teach her a little? To show her that magic is nothing to be afraid of. I'm sure you'd both be happy to leave Godric's Hollow every now and then…"_

 _Glancing at her daughter, Kendra sighed. "Do you really think there is something you can do? I mean, I would love it, but her magical outbursts can be terrible and I don't want you to get hurt. Especially not with little Minerva around now."_

 _Rose shrugged and gestured towards the two girls. "Look at them. Ariana is completely calm around the baby. She already has her emotions in check because she doesn't want to hurt Minerva."_

 _Kendra looked surprised, and so did 17-year-old Albus. "You think there is still hope?" He asked the red-haired witch, who gave him a smile._

" _There's always hope, Albus. And we simply – "_

 _This time, the interruption came from the blonde haired girl. "Erm, Mina's making weird sounds."_

 _Rose stepped closer and smirked. "She's smiling, love. She likes you!"_

 _Ana stared at her for a moment, then she giggled sweetly. "I like her too! But she gets heavy… can you please…?"_

" _Of course, love," Kendra said surprised and smiled at her daughter. The baby in her own arms now, she looked at her eldest son. "Albus, do you want to hold little Minerva?"_

 _The young man's bright blue eyes widened. "Erm, I don't think – "_

 _Rose laughed. "Oh, come on, Al. A grown up young man like yourself isn't afraid to hold a child, now, is he?"_

 _Taking a deep breath, Albus carefully outstretched his arms and his mother planted baby-Minerva in his arms. He softly wrapped his arms around her; making sure not to let her fall. For a moment, the young man just stared at the child, mesmerized. Then he softly touched the little girl's cheek with his finger and when he was about to retreat it, the tiny emerald eyed witch reached out and wrapped her tiny little fingers around his._

 _When little Minerva giggled softly, Albus looked at his mother and Rose with a sheepish grin on his face. "She really_ does _have fascinating eyes."_

...

Harry laughed whole-heartedly, and so did Hermione and Arina.

"Oh my goodness. He held her as a baby?" Hermione squealed and grinned at her aunt with big brown eyes. "That's _so_ cute!"

Arina giggled. "Indeed it is. One look was enough and she's already got him wrapped around her tiny little fingers."

For a moment, they were silent and simply watched the swirling red waves of the mablomi.

"It's so sad to know that they died," Hermione then said and looked at her aunt with sad brown eyes. "Apollo and Rose, I mean. They seemed to be such wonderful people…"

Arina sighed. "I know. I would have loved to get to know them."

Harry smiled sadly at her. "You should come in here with us more often. I'm sure we'll see more about them."

The blue eyed witch returned the smile. "That's a lovely, idea, Harry."

"Look," Hermione said suddenly, "the new scene has formed. Let's see what it will be about this time."

...

 **... July, 1968…**

 _They stood at the side of a very busy street – probably somewhere in or around muggle London._

 _They continued watching the vehicles and Harry was about to ask if there was ever something going to happen when –_

 _CRASH._

 _Harry, Hermione and Arina all jumped out of their skins; horrified._

 _The little red car they had spotted earlier got hit in the side by a gigantic truck with full force._

 _Immediately, people around started to break and get out of their own cars to help; they managed to carry seriously injured and unconscious little blond haired boy out before the red car caught on fire completely._

 _...  
_

And the scene jumped again.

Harry still felt sick from watching the accident and taking a look at Hermione, he could see that she clearly felt the same.

"That boy in the red car…" Arina mumbled, still in shock, "that was Dan."

Both wizard and witch looked at her now; wide eyed.

"He told me about the accident after we started dating," the blue eyed witch continued and stared at the red waves in front of her. "Though I never knew how terrible it really was."

Hermione nodded; eyes filled with tears now. "He hates riding in a car…. Now I understand why."

"It seems like a true wonder that he survived in the first place…" Harry added thoughtfully.

"I think his magic had something to do with it. He was only eleven back then, but all children show early signs of magic and they use it unconsciously in dangerous situation," Arina explained and took a deep breath to control her emotions.

Harry agreed. "Yeah, it's like with the snake in the zoo…"

He was relieved when his godmother chuckled again. "Honestly, I wish I could have seen _that."_

...

 _ **... late August, 1968...**_

 _This time, they were in a white hospital room. 11-year-old Aidan was lying in the bed in the middle of the room. Obviously still unconscious and with several medical machines attached to him._

 _Then, the door opened and a man in his early to mid-fourties entered. He had the same brown eyes like Aidan, though his hair was bushy and brown._

 _Harry could make out the slight resemblance to his best friend and was therefore pretty sure that this had to be Hermione's grandfather Max._

 _Only a couple of steps behind the man, a young version of Professor McGonagall – probably in her early thirties – followed him into the room. She wore a pair of black muggle trousers and an emerald green blouse that made her eyes sparkle even more._

 _They sat down by the small table in the room and Max stared at the ebony-haired woman in front of him._

" _So the fact that my son is a wizard saved his life?"_

 _Professor McGonagall nodded and sent a sad look toward the boy in the bed. "Yes. His magic protected him during the crash."_

 _Max nodded like in trance and followed her glance. "The doctors don't know if he will ever wake up again. The damage was still too much for his small body."_

 _The emerald eyed witch sighed. "Magic used in such amounts comes with a price I'm afraid. But I'm sure that once his energy is back, young Aidan will recover."_

" _I hope you are right," Max whispered and blinked the upcoming tears away. Then he tore his glance from his son to look at the witch. "Do – Do you think - if Aidan is ever going to heal - that he could still go to your school? This magic of his… it's a true gift."_

 _Young Minerva smiled kindly. "There's never been a situation where a muggle born first year started Hogwarts late, you are right,," she said and touched him softly on the shoulder. "But since my last visit… let's just say I pulled a few strings. Aidan will be more than welcome to start his education whenever he has fully recovered."_

 _Max looked at her gratefully. "Thank you, Minerva."_

 _The transfiguration mistress smiled at him. "There's no need to thank me, Max. Your little boy has already suffered more than anyone his age ever should. And once he feels a little stronger – and with your approval - " she continued thoughtfully, "I would love to come by a couple of times and teach him a couple of small things about magic. I have several of my old school books he could have, so he gets used to the magic in his life a little more."_

 _Hermione's grandfather nodded happily and looked at his boy. "This is a very generous offer, Minerva. I'm sure Dan would love that."_

 _...  
_

Red waves once again started to dissolve the picture.

Harry glanced over to Hermione and his godmother.

"I'm really glad Dan recovered," he said relieved.

"Believe me, Harry, so am I," Arina sighed, but then she put an arm around both her godson and niece. "Though thinking about it now… life can be very humorous in its own kind of way…"

"Why is that?" Hermione asked curiously.

Arina smiled brightly at her. "Well, Mum kept her promise and started teaching Dan in the hospital. They developed a really great friendship, and well, she was surprised, but at the same time pretty happy when Dan and I started dating during the year I was at Hogwarts."

Harry laughed. "I guess – "

He was interrupted by the by now gigantic red waves. "You should prepare yourself, A."

The blue eyed witch looked confused. "What? Why?"

"Because we're about to exit the Mablomi again," Hermione explained and instantly they started swirling around in the red liquid again.

.

Right after being thrown out of the Mablomi, they once again _stood_ in front of the people at the 'Round table' – mostly due to the fact that Arina had managed to grab both Hermione's and Harry's arm to prevent them from falling onto the ground once again.

Wearing rather sheepish grins on their faces, the three sat down on their earlier places next to their friends.

"Glad you're back," Ron whispered and kissed her lovingly on the cheek.

The young witch gave him a bright smile in return and leaned slightly against him.

"I have to admit, this mirror is indeed quite fascinating," Professor Dumbledore said and gestured to the Mablomi that was still untouched on his old place.

Xemerius laughed. "Oh, I doubt you will find it fascinating after these two got full insight about your marriage life."

Adults as well as the younger ones started giggling – including Harry and Hermione. Arina on the other hand blushed a bright crimson and mumbled something along the lines, 'Honestly, Xem, there are things I really really don't want to think about…"

Professor Dumbledore seemed rather speechless for a moment. Then he turned, slightly embarrassed, to Hermione and her black haired best friend with a raised eyebrow. "Erm, should you ever come in the position of … well… witnessing…. erm, _this_ … then – "

"It's quite alright, Professor." Hermione said, but couldn't quite suppress the grin on her face. "We aren't first years anymore. I think Harry and I are quite able to handle insight in marriage life, won't we, Harry?"

The boy-who-lived was still laughing, so he simply nodded his head in affirmation. He then turned towards his godmother and looked at her wickedly.

"I think Arina's got a bigger problem with that."

Even Severus and Narcissa laughed whole-heartedly now. Especially since Arina loudly exclaimed, "HARRY!" and nudged him playfully in the ribs.

"Oh, Honey," Poppy added, also smirking. "There are things much worse than that."

The blue-eyed witch started at her godmother with a rather disgusted look on her face. "I don't think so…" she mumbled.

Rolanda smiled at her equally wickedly. "Poppy is quite right, my dear!"

"Has no one ever told what a naughty girl your mother has been during our own days in school?" Xemerius asked his god-daughter innocently.

"Though it's still a mystery to me how she was able to get outstanding grades in every subject…" Augusta added, headshaking.

Arina covered her eyes in a rather childish manner and tried to ignore her mother's friends.

Hermione also noticed that with a glance through the window that it was now completely dark outside and the only lights shone from the little candles that were standing on top of the Round-Table.

The young witch also noticed the many sleeping forms of the people at the back of the Hall and she couldn't blame them; she was also quite exhausted but not quite yet tired enough to sleep.

The see-through shimmer she saw indicated that a bubble-charm had been cast, that made sure that the people in the back – and majority – of the great hall were able to sleep peacefully; all voices and sounds were filtered, so the witches and wizards in the small, front part of the Great hall - including the Round Table - were able to speak without disturbing the others.

Hermione smirked slightly because she suspected Professor Dumbledore to be the one who put up the wall in the first place; in a sort of wise foresight to keep most of the people from witnessing his wife's anger.

'Speak of the devil,' the young witch thought smiling as she heard the unmistakable voices of her uncle and favourite teacher rang through the doors of the Great Hall.

"… though I do hope Jean will remember," the Aidan said and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. She really hoped that her parents would be able to re-gain their memories again…

"I sure that potion of yours will work splendidly," the voice of the emerald eyed witch continued and everyone at the Round table sat up straight and turned around to see the doors of the Great Hall being pushed open. "Hermione will be happy so see that her parents – "

Hermione never knew what the ebony witch had wanted to say, for she had stopped dead in her tracks.

Her emerald eyes widened in disbelief and all colour instantly drained from her face upon seeing her ' _dead'_ husband sitting next to her friends and daughter on the table.

Looking at her from this perspective, Hermione noticed that the ebony-haired witch didn't look good at all – apart from the obvious shock. Her face was thin and she was still limping slightly.

' _All magic comes with a price_ ', Hermione thought worriedly and remembered the words she had once read in a rather ancient textbook. And considering the amount of energy and magic the elderly witch had used recently, it was no wonder that she looked completely exhausted. The young witch just hoped that it was nothing serious.

All of a sudden, reacting faster than Hermione thought to be possible, the transfiguration mistress raised her wand, pointed it straight at Professor Dumbledore, and looked at him with dangerously sparkling emerald eyes.

"I don't care who the bloody hell _you_ are," the emerald-eyed witch hissed; a burst of uncontrolled magic once again broke several windows and Hermione was once again reminded why Professor McGonagall was considered to be the most powerful witch alive, "but disguising as a dead man is a fairly poor idea. And if you don't step away from _my_ daughter right now, I can assure you that even Voldemort and Grindelwald combined would have been child's play in comparison to what I'll do to you."

* * *

 **TBC**!


	16. Vita non est vivere sed valere vita est

**Hello lovelies!**

 **I'm so incredibly sorry for the late update! But the last couple of weeks were packed with Uni-Exams I had to study for... It really sucks not to have any time left to write something...**

 **Therefore, thanks again to everyone who fav/followed the story! And that you haven't given up on this story!**

 **Thanks Mawenn, Amiliana, Paige, RamboL, Ramona, TealBlueEyes, Ketki, Maddie and all the guests for the lovely and encouraging reviews! This makes me incredibly happy!**

 **I hope you like the next chapter; it includes a cute little Minerva/Harry bonding moment amongst other things!**

 **To be honest, I didn't plan that my story telling streches the scenes so much... but as much as I tried it happened again in this chappie... despite my best efforts XD But I had to write about a couple of things that are essential for the future story line... but you'll see soon :)**

 **Als always, I really hope you like it and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Vita non est vivere sed valere vita est**  
Life is more than merely staying alive

* * *

Liam Granger sighed rather theatrically as he put down his newspaper on the couch next to him. Then he let his emerald eyes wander to his wife; she was sitting on the other end of the living room in a big and rather ancient looking armchair with a book in her hand and a steaming cup of tea on the little table by her side.

"Jean…" the honey brown-haired man complained and looked at his wife of several years.

"Liam…" Jean repeated mockingly and grinned at her husband; her hazel eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Please, don't pretend you don't hear _that_!"

"Hear what exactly, darling?" The bushy haired woman asked innocently, though she knew very well what her husband was talking about.

"Is this really considered to be normal behavior for such a small owl?" Liam asked and finally pointed straight forward to the animal that was howling loudly and scratching with its small claws against the window frame.

Jeans just shrugged. "Well, you could just open the window and let the poor thing in."

In return, the handsome man rolled his eyes at his wife and mumbled something that sounded like "…animals getting crazier and crazier here in Down Under…"

But naturally, he did as he was told and opened the window. He had expected the little owl to make quite the fuss, but was surprised that it only hopped inside and showed him the little package that was attached to its leg.

Slightly confused, Liam turned to his wife and raised an eyebrow.

Jean's only answer was to look at him with an expression that clearly said "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Considering that the little black owl with the white spots looked really cute, Liam even petted it carefully before he took what the animal had brought and sat down next to his wife, so she could get a better look, too.

Once they had opened the little package, they saw a small letter, a little viol of green liquid and another one with – _dirt_?

Since Liam Granger wasn't really sure what to do with the latter two items, he decided to take a closer look at the letter.

Jean by his side, the handsome man started to read out aloud; not really able to hide his curiosity any longer. _'Who in his right mind would send a litter via owl after all?'_

Furthermore, he had always been under the impression that the mail services here in Australia worked quite splendidly and he had been living her for as long as he could remember…

Nevertheless, he started reading – although he was quite surprised by the neat, but clearly male handwriting he saw…

 _ **Dear Jean and Liam,**_

 _ **I can imagine you must be utterly surprised to receive this letter via owl.  
(At this point I apologize in advance… our owl Amaunet can be quite persistent, but she's a kind and trustful animal!)  
But now back to the important things: Right now, you must be under the impression of having lived here in Australia for your whole life. This, however, is wrong.**_

At this point, Liam looked at his wife with skeptical emerald eyes. But the bushy haired woman just shrugged and told him to go on. Naturally, the honey-brown haired man did as he was told; it was after all never a good idea to ignore his wife…

"Now where was I… ah, yes:

… _**is wrong. Your memories has been altered. I know how strange this must sound to you now, but please, continue reading this.  
Your daughter – yes, you have a by now 18 year old, beautiful and intelligent daughter – is a witch.  
She has given both of you new memories in order to keep you save and out of harms way that the war we were fighting in caused.  
She erased herself and the rest of your family and sent you here, to Australia. **_

"Oh come on Jean! Someone's clearly playing a trick on us! That's ridiculous!"

"Liam…"

He shrugged and brushed one hand through his short honey-brown hair.

"I would remember if I – we – had a daughter!"

Jean was silent for a moment.

"Do you really believe this?" he asked and waved with the letter.

The hazel-eyed woman seemed to hesitate. "Have you never felt like something in our life is missing?"

"Well, yes, but – "

Jean interrupted again. "As peculiar as it sounds, I would like to hear more about it. If it turns out to be complete and utter rubbish… well, then you can still burn the paper in the fireplace, hmm?"

Sighing, he put his glasses back on his nose and continued.

… _**to Australia. Knowing the two of you, Liam must have just put the letter away and called this whole thing ridiculous –**_

"How the hell could he have known that?!"

"Liam, please!"

"Alright alright…"

 _ **Therefore, thanks Jean, for making sure he continued! Now let me explain a little more:  
Jean, your parents never died. Your father, Max, is still very much alive. You also have a two year younger brother, called Aidan – and yes, that's me.  
I hope you're doing well, Sis.  
Liam, you never ran away from home. You love your mother Tori very much and the other way round!  
(even though she sometimes jokes in saying she wished she hadn't adopted you… I don't know why I mentioned that… never mind)  
Anyways, your daughter is called Hermione (after your mother's second name).  
She is a very talented witch and attended a special magical school called Hogwarts.  
Like I already said, the war we were fighting in called for drastic measures.  
Luckily I was able to create an antidote for the memory charm. (It's the green liquid!)  
Drink it and you will remember!  
I know – drinking green stuff from strangers is usually a fairly stupid suggestion, but you can trust me!  
Here, let me prove that I'm telling the truth:  
Jean, your childhood dream was to become a doctor! And you are a dentist now; what you always wanted!  
Oh, and your middle name is Ellen. You hate stupid politicians and you are afraid of thunder storms. **_

Jean stared at her husband with wide eyes. "Please, Liam, go on!" She urged him, but Liam was so excited himself, that she didn't have to say it twice.

… _ **storms. Liam, you always wanted to become an author. You already wrote a couple of things, and by now you should be almost finished with your first novel, right?  
Furthermore, you have a tiny little birth mark on your left shoulder that looks like a little lion!  
You are an incredible good cook and, believe it or not, you love drawing and painting. (It's a shame you don't remember the painting you created of your daughter…)  
Last but not least, you wear a very old-looking ring on your finger with an elegant 'W' as a crest engraved on it. **_

Here, the emerald eyed man stopped dead in his tracks; completely overwhelmed and staring down at the ancient ring on his finger.

"How can he know all that?" he asked and played nervously with it.

All Jean could do was shrug. "You know, this is far too specific and absurd to be a joke."

Mesmerized, Liam nodded and continued.

 _ **Now, I sincerely hope I could convince you that I'm speaking the truth!**_

 _ **Love, Adian  
P.s. Drink the potion, afterwards use the floo-powder in the second little bottle to get to Dad's house – you will know what to do.  
Oh, and please send a letter back to me, so we'll meet you there!**_

Putting the letter aside, Liam sighed audibly.

Jean took the green shimmering liquid bottle in her small hands. "Well, let's give this a try, shall we?"

Hesitantly, she opened it. But before she got the chance to take a sip of its content, Liam snatched it out of her hands.

"What are you do – "

"I'll drink it first," he explained and his green eyes gleamed protectively. "Just in case it's not what we think… you'll be alright."

Jean rolled her eyes at her husband's behavior. "You're being completely overprotective."

"That's my duty, love," he smiled at her and then downed half the content in one go.

He shuddered for a moment – this stuff tasted really disgusting.

And at first, he thought nothing would happen at all. Then his eyes glowed for a couple of seconds, widened and he turned to stare at his wife.

"It's true," he whispered in a hoarse voice and handed the green liquid bottle to his wife. "Everything Dan wrote is true. Hermione did erase our memories."

* * *

Minerva was staring at the people in front of her and to say she was shocked to see Albus sitting happily amongst them at the 'Round Table' would have been the understatement of the century.

Her arm with the wand in her hand was still outstretched, but shaking terribly.

She tried her best to keep her trembling body under control, but the fact that Harry, Hermione and her daughter still hadn't moved away from whoever impersonated her dead husband scared her more than anything.

She then moved her wide emerald eyes ever so slightly to glance at Dan.

The young surgeon was still standing next to her, and his expression, too, was worried.

"Minerva, calm down."

The voice belonged to Alastor and the transfiguration mistress couldn't believe her ears.

' _These medications Dan gives me are driving me completely crazy already…_ ' she thought with a heavy heart.

"Don't you ' _calm down'_ me now, Alastor!" she hissed and not only the elderly wizard with the rotating eye, but Severus, Narcissa, Augusta, Rolanda, Poppy, Xem, Molly and Arthur as well as the other young adults jumped a little at her tone.

"What happened to constant vigilance, Alastor, hmm? For years this was the only thing on your mind and now that you have a damn good reason to be suspicious your're not?"

This statement clearly made the wizard think, and he raised his eyebrows. "Well, Potter and Granger seemed to trust – "

Minerva gave an uncharacteristically dry laugh, but looked at both young adults with an apologetic expression. "Both your hearts are too big for your own good, my dears…"

Then she turned and glared at Alastor once more. "But you didn't find it the least suspicious that a dead man is standing in front of you?"

This time it was Augusta how spoke up, probably in order to give her old school mate a break from the Scottish witch's anger.

"Minerva, I'm honestly convinced that this is Albus. His story was way too absurd to be invented."

Poppy and Rolanda nodded in agreement, so did Xemerius.

Albus was about to get up from his chair, but Minerva took a quick step forward; her wand held high. "Don't even try to move."

"Mum, please!"

The pleading voice came from Arina.

But Minerva didn't move. Well, to be honest, she was completely unable to move. Her muscles felt like they were heavy or frozen and she had to work hard to keep the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes at check.

"Arina, _please_ , step away," Minerva forced herself to say.

She knew that her voice was failing her, but looking at her husband only made it worse… she wanted to believe it was true. She had spent hours crying in her chambers, wishing that was she was seeing right now would happen; that she'd get her husband back. She wanted to throw herself into his strong arms, press her body against his and simply feel the touch of his skin on hers again…

Swallowing hard, she shook her head and tried to get rid of the false images in her head. _This wasn't Albus. Albus was dead. He died a year ago. She had attended his funeral. She had –_

"Min, why don't you hear him out first," Xemerius got up from his chair and put a calming arm around his best friend. "Don't you want it to be true?"

Turning her head in a neck-breaking speed, the emerald eyed witch looked at her friend with a devastated expression. "You really think I don't want it to be true?" she asked and despite her best efforts she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "Do you really think I wouldn't give anything to have my husband back? To put the pieces of my heart back together again?"

Her voice failed her and she tore her eyes away from her old friend. She didn't want him so see her tears.

But Xem had known her for too long and carefully put one hand around her chin to turn her face back towards him.

"Min…"

Minerva swallowed hard. "I learned a long time ago that there's no coming back from the dead, Xem," she finally whispered.

Alastor, who had apparently heard her, coughed suspiciously. "Well, what do you think is going on then?"

"Well, I don't want to sound harsh, but from what I've heard… shouldn't you know better than anyone how easy it is to impersonate someone using a little bit of Polyjuice potion?" Arina asked in Minerva's defense and the transfiguration Mistress smiled at her daughter gratefully.

People at the round table started to mumbled agreeing words and the once so certain looks in their eyes got replaced by rather uncertain ones.

"Why don't you just ask him something that only Albus would know?"

All eyes turned around to look at Aberforth.

Minerva had to admit that she had completely ignored that her brother-in-law was still in the same room.

"Yes, there has to be specific things to prove it's him," Hermione and Draco said at the same time enthusiastically and Harry nodded in agreement.

A small smile appeared on Minerva's face when she noticed that Arina whispered something in a blushing Hermione's ear before she once again put both her arms around her niece and godson. _'Let's hope we can make up for all the years poor Harry had to live with Petunia…'_ the transfiguration mistress thought with a heavy heart as images of a little red haired girl flashed before her eyes. _'I won't let you down again, Lily. I promise.'_

Nevertheless, Minerva forced herself to get rid of Lily's picture in her mind and lowered her wand a little, though she still had a bad feeling about this.

She then looked at Albus' sparkling blue eyes and instantly she got lost in them. _'Oh how she missed looking into these wonderful eyes…'_

For a moment she didn't say a word, and Albus used that moment to get up from his chair, with both his hands held up in a defensive gesture.

"Tabby, ask me anything you want."

The sound of his voice made her go weak at her knees and Minerva swallowed hard.

She opened her mouth, several times, but no words came out.

"Alright, if no one minds… then I'll make the start," Narcissa said to everyone's surprise.

Minerva turned her head ever so slightly to look at the younger, blonde haired woman. She was glad to see the youngest Black girl so at ease with all the people around her and it warmed her heart so see Draco leaning against his mother. She had always known that Narcissa had potential for so much more… And maybe, just maybe… she will one day realize that there is love in the world, even for her. She only had to notice that Severus' strong arms were wrapped around her waist a little too tightly, even for old friends…

.

Harry was probably as surprised as everyone else at the 'Round Table' as Narcissa looked at the Headmaster with sincere light blue eyes. His eyes wandered quickly from Arina to Professor McGonagall's, then to the Headmaster and back to Draco's mother, who had by now got out of Sn – _Severus'_ arms and sat up straight on her chair.

There was something in her light blue eyes that made Harry remember the previous night, when she lied to the Dark Lord to save his life. He could clearly see that she wanted to get rid of her own past, the life in which she made wrong choices… she wanted to start anew. And Harry was glad that Professor McGonagall had already told Draco that this was exactly the time for second chances.

Speaking of second chances… the 17-year old also hoped that this was indeed Professor Dumbledore who was standing in front of them now.

He had to admit, that he didn't doubt it at all in the beginning, but the transfiguration's words and the way Arina now looked at her father with worried blue eyes made the young wizard think a little more.

Perhaps he had been blinded by happiness… the wonderful feeling to see the grandfather-like Headmaster again and the safety he felt upon seeing him again.

But seeing Professor McGonagall's outstretched wand pointing at the figure of her husband made Harry realize that in the magical word there was nothing as it seemed.

'The seven years he spent at Hogwarts should have been enough proof that magic always caused people to get a surprise in the one or other way', he thought with a small chuckle.

But no matter what, both Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall, were apart from Arina, the Weasley's and his friends the only people he really trusted; and Arina had promised him that they'd become a real family… and Harry really hoped that both his 'Hogwarts-grandparents' would be part of his future life now.

Shaking his head, he cleared his thoughts and turned his attention back to the scene that was enfolding in front of him; right in time to hear Narcissa speak.

"A long time ago," Draco's mother started in a rather pained voice, "I betrayed my family and you, Professor Dumbledore, are the only one who knew about it."

Harry's eyes widened and so did Draco's grey ones, but the elderly headmaster only nodded slowly. He held the witch's glance for some time and took a deep breath before he answered.

"Yes, I remember. You offered – anonymously – the last piece of evidence to that was needed to get Cygnus Black imprisoned in Azkaban."

Narcissa sighed and nodded in relief; everyone else, including Draco, Ginny, Ron, Neville, Luna, Hermione and Harry stared at the Lady Malfoy with wide eyes.

Harry noticed that Professor McGonagall was staring at the blonde haired woman with wide, disbelieving emerald eyes. The black haired man couldn't quite decide whether her facial expression looked shocked, horrified, or surprised, but the elderly witch clad in blue robes – that clearly belonged to his godmother – simply stared at Narcissa open mouthed.

"Mother?" Draco finally asked in a weak voice, apparently he couldn't quite believe that his mother would do something like this either. "Cygnus Black, but wasn't that…"

Harry raised an eyebrow; he had no idea who that was and the unfinished sentence made him curious. He glanced at Hermione and Arina, but both of them simply shook their head, telling him to be quiet and listen.

Naturally, he obeyed.

"Yes, my father," Narcissa explained in a hoarse voice and without taking her eyes of the emerald eyed witch. "It was the only right thing to do. He got what he deserved."

This time, Harry couldn't help but speak up, though he was beaten by Ron first.

"Hold on, you brought your own father to Azkaban?"

Professor Snape glared at Ron. "Weasley – "

"It's alright, Severus," Narcissa laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Yes, I am the reason my father got imprisoned. But he was a monster. He – he was one of Lord Grindelwald's most loyal followers and he – he had to be stopped."

.

Minerva stared at Narcissa in shock. The younger woman shivered and when her eyes met Minerva's own, she was sure that Narcissa probably knew a lot more things from her father's past than she should.

The emerald eyed witch knew that her own body was trembling; it happened every single time she recalled memories about Cygnus Black… and what he did to her all those years ago.

It hadn't been easy to get over it; sometimes, Minerva still had nightmares about the time she had been held prisoner at his estate. The desire that always shone in his dark eyes when he looked at his 'newest' possession, his terribly sweaty hands on her soft skin, the way he beat her up until she lay helplessly on the hard ground of her prison cell… and how he had forced himself on her –

"Minerva."

Xemerius comforting hands on her shoulder luckily tore her away from the frightful memories of her past.

She took a couple of deep breaths to get her heavily beating heart back under control. She nodded only, telling Xem that she was alright.

Then she locked her emerald eyes with Narcissa's blue ones.

Minerva had never known who was the important informant that caused Cygnus' imprisonment, so she hoped that her eyes would tell Narcissa how thankful she was for what the younger woman did.

In return, she received a tiny, almost undetectable nod.

However, before Minerva was able to say anything, Ginny spoke up.

"Is this reason enough to believe this is the 'real' Professor?"

"Erm, I'd say that perhaps some more questions would be better," Xem answered for Minerva.

She gave him a small smile; their friendship was indeed something she valued very much and the transfiguration mistress wasn't quite sure what she'd do without him.

"Alright," Dan replied matter-of-factly, though he remained standing by the black-haired witch's side. "Who goes next?"

"Arina, honey, what about you?" Poppy asked and looked at her god-daughter expectantly.

From the way her daughter's blue eyes moved, Minerva could tell that she was indeed thinking about a suitable question.

"Rina?"

"I'm still thinking, Harry, love… Could someone else go first, please?" Arina asked, biting on her lower lip.

Aberforth took a deep breath and all eyes in the by now rather dark hall turned towards the elderly wizard – who so much looked like his older brother.

Albus also gave him a kind smile, encouraging him to speak.

"Ariana's grave…why is neither one of us particularly fond of visiting it?"

Minerva had to admit that this was a question she had always asked herself as well. Especially since the emerald eyed witch always found new energy in visiting her own sister's grave. Albus only ever lit a small candle which he put in front of the little portrait in their house in Godric's Hollow. Minerva had asked him a couple of times whether he wanted to visit Ana's grave – for example on Christmas Eve, Ana's birth or death day, but he simply said he preferred the little candle…

She turned her head and focused her emerald eyes on the person in front of her, who looked so much like her husband.

Pain was clearly visible on his face; it always was when Ariana was mentioned.

"The night Ariana was…" Albus' voice cracked ever so slightly, but he seemed to find new strength upon looking from his brother to Minerva and back to Aberforth. "The night Ana was killed… we started to fight… we rushed through the whole house. Once we calmed down… we walked back outside to – to move her dead body. But – "

Minerva's heart ached upon seeing Albus' suffering. She desperately wanted to reach out and comfort him; tell him that what happened to his sister wasn't his fault… but despite all this, she flinched when she saw Arina softly touching his shoulder. ' _She should be careful! This cannot be her father… Albus is dead…'_

Taking a deep breath, Albus continued in a less shaky voice. "But when we came back in the court-yard, her body was gone."

Every mouth – including Minerva's own – dropped in astonishment. Whatever the transfiguration mistress thought Albus would say, it wasn't this. _'Ana's body wasn't there anymore? How was this possible…'_

But Aberforth nodded in agreement.

"How is that possible?" Augusta asked the question probably everyone else was thinking about.

Albus sighed. "We don't know. All that was left of her was Ariana's phoenix necklace. Maybe it was a spell… maybe it was Gellert who took her body… to this day we never found out what happened to her body."

"We had a spiritual funeral; there's no body in the grave…" Aberforth mumbled without taking his eyes of Albus'.

The wizard however looked straight at Minerva, who's anger slowly turned into hope. Perhaps this was really 'her' Albus…

"This is why I don't visit her grave. I don't see the point in it, my dear."

All Minerva could do was nod several times and take a deep breath to keep her upcoming tears in check.

Arina, who was clutching Arina's necklace into her hands, looked at her father with equally watery eyes. This time it was Harry's turn to tighten his arms around her.

"Professor Dumbledore answered both questions correct," the young black haired wizard stated.

"You should be then one to ask the next one, A," Hermione suggested and leaned back against Ron, who put his arms around her.

Arina nodded hesitantly. Then she looked straight at Minerva; an advanced apology written in her blue eyes that made the emerald eyed witch swallow hard.

She knew exactly what Arina was about to ask, and her heart once again contradicted painfully.

"I'm sorry, mum, but – "

Minerva sighed, but nodded. "It's alright, go ahead, kitten," she told her daughter in a shaking voice.

The blue-eyed witch nodded and took another deep breath before she turned to her father.

"Sometimes, I look in the mirror, but I don't see myself," Arina mumbled and Minerva could see that everyone was raising an eyebrow at hearing the riddle. "I see a face, similar but not the same; I see green eyes instead of blue ones and auburn hair instead of black; I see a part of me that's lost; I see something that never was; a girl that never got the chance to live. Who am I talking about?"

Most of the people at the round table looked utterly confused; even Xem and Poppy who should actually know what Arina was talking about. Minerva on the other hand, looked into Albus eyes and saw that tears were sparkling in them as well.

Albus swallowed hard before he spoke, and his voice sounded hoarse.

"Aurora," he whispered and his blue eyes never left Minerva's, who had a hard time to hold her wand steady. "Aurora Lilyana Pendragon is the girl you are talking about."

Arina nodded happily, though tears were streaming down her cheeks now. The people looked even more confused than before.

"Who's Aurora?" Aberforth, Augusta, Molly and Severus asked at the same time.

Minerva felt as if the time around them had stopped; like there were only Albus and her in the room. She heard her heart beating heavily in her chest and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Albus," Rolanda elbowed him in the chest. "Who the hell are you talking about."

The old wizard sighed, but before he had the chance to answer, Arina did.

"Aurora," the blue-eyed witch whispered and put one of her arms back around Harry, "was my older twin-sister."

.

Hermione felt the tears that were welling up in her hazel eyes when she saw Professor McGonagall's shaking form in front of her.

"What – what happened to the kid?" Aberforth asked sympathetically and broke the stunned silence around him.

The young witch saw that her favourite Professor was still trembling slightly as she spoke.

"She – she died," the emerald eyed witch whispered in a cracking voice.

She heard Harry sucking in a sharp breath and Hermione felt exactly the same. One after another, the pieces of the puzzle were creating a picture and Hermione saw all the more reason why the Professors didn't tell anyone about Arina. The loss of a child was something that changed a parent forever… Though she wondered how her aunt must feel right now. She was always under the impression that twins shared a very special connection with each other.

"Oh, Minerva," Augusta and Rolanda squealed at the same time; got up from their seats and hurried toward the ebony haired witch to take her in her arms.

But being the stubborn woman she was, the witch simply wiped the lonely tear off her cheek and put on a brave smile.

"That was a long time ago…"

Rolanda sighed, Augusta was silent. Moody clearly avoided being caught in anything emotional, as did Arthur, Bill and Neville.

' _They obviously thought that said nothing than the wrong thing,'_ Hermione thought with a roll of her eyes. ' _Men_.'

"Why did she…" Molly asked with loads of tears streaming down her cheeks. The Weasley Matriarch was a little too emotional whenever children were involved; and it didn't matter whether it was about her own or the ones of her friends.

Professor McGonagall sighed and swallowed hard as she glanced at the red-haired elderly woman.

"There – there was a fire in St. Mungos' infant station," Albus answered hoarsely without taking his sad blue eyes off his wife. "Someone set a demon fire; there was nothing left but ashes."

.

One could hear a needle drop to the floor, so quiet was it.

"What?!" Ginny, Luna, Ron, Draco, George and Fleur finally shouted at the same time and stared at the adults – especially at Madam Pomfrey and Dan – with wide eyes.

' _How could something like that happen in a hospital?'_

Harry was staring at Arina in shock; Hermione next to him was probably wondering the same for her eyes were as wide as his own… _how did his godmother survive something like that?_

"I wasn't in the same room," Arina mumbled with a guilty voice as if she had read his thoughts. "We were both small, but apparently I had some troubles breathing properly so they worked on me in a different room. Or that's what I've been told…"

She trailed off and by now Harry knew his godmother well enough to know that she still felt guilty about living while her sister died. So he reached out and took her delicate hand in his to squeeze it slightly. Looking at him with sad blue eyes, she gave him a brave smile and returned the gesture.

"And to answer your unspoken question, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey mumbled with a raised eyebrow, "to this day we – the hospital – have no idea who planted the fire."

Xemerius coughed suspiciously and sent the medi-witch an angry look. "Poppy-"

"Yes, it's a dark chapter in the history of the hospital, but there is nothing we can do about it now."

There was something in the medi-witch's expression that caused Xemerius to take a deep breath, but he didn't say anything else.

"I'm so sorry, Minerva," Molly sobbed from the far end of the Round Table.

Harry turned his head slightly to look at the emerald eyed witch. She was pale, her body was trembling, but the young wizard didn't blame her. On the contrary, he was once more impressed by how she could handle it so well that such private details of her life were discussed so openly. And he was sure it had to be very painful to think of all those memories over and over again.

But she simply blinked a view times in order to prevent the tears from falling from her watery eyes and she even managed to give the Weasley Matriarch a brave smile.

"It – it happened a long time ago, Molly," she whispered softly, glanced at her husband in front of her and lowered to everyone's surprise her wand completely now.

Augusta and Rolanda still had their arms around her. "I – I do have a picture of her with me wherever I go. It's the only one I have, but… I like to remember the adorable little smile she wore on her face when Poppy took the picture and the way her green eyes twinkled and how her tiny hands wrapped around Athena's necklace and – "

"You gave her Athena's necklace?" Augusta asked with tears in her eyes.

The transfiguration Mistress nodded and the sad smile she gave her old friend almost broke Harry's heart. "Yes. We passed Ariana's on to Rina and my sister's to Aurora."

"That's a lovely gesture, Professor," Harry whispered to her.

She smiled a slightly happier smile at him. "I like to think that, too, Harry."

Somehow, that expression triggered something in him. He squeezed his godmother's hand one more time before he got up from his chair, dropped Batty on Hermione's lap, then walked quickly towards the ebony-haired witch, pushed both Mrs. Longbottom and the flying instructor aside and tightly embraced the elderly witch.

To his own surprise, she returned the gesture and softly brushed her slim fingers through his hair. Simultaneously, the young man laid his head down on her shoulder; he enjoyed the feeling of safety that both Arina and her mother evoked in him. Aunt Petunia had never really shown him any kind of affection at all, and he was overwhelmed by how good it felt to have someone to rely on. And at this very moment, Harry realized that in a way, he had had a family at Hogwarts all the time. He just never thought that his Professor could care for him as more than just a student. But seeing her memories, the way she cared for her daughter and his mother Lily… Harry was certain that had he found the courage to talk to her, Professor McGonagall had probably taken him away from the Durselys years ago.

But as always, no one could change history. So Harry was just glad that the emerald eyed witch opened up to him and Hermione so easily now. And one day, yes, one day, he was sure that he had the chance to get a real family.

"You know, I always wondered why she was taken away from me so early…" the elderly witch whispered into his, so no one but Harry could hear her. "And then I met your mother."

Harry moved his head and their eyes met. "Originally, I was supposed to have two daughters. That day… I knew that even if I had failed my own daughter, Aurora would be happy if I took care of Lily instead."

Harry swallowed hard and tightened his arms around the emerald eyed witch's slim waist. "I saw the memories… I'm so very glad she found a real mother in you."

He felt that a soft sob escaped her, but she didn't let go. "I'm glad to hear you think so. Lily managed to at least partly heal the part of my heart that broke when my little girl died."

For a moment, neither of them said a word. Then the elderly witch carefully lifted his chin so he had to look into her teary emerald eyes. "You're not alone, Harry. Arina and I will always be here for you, too."

.

Albus watched the scene with a tiny smile on his face. He had hoped that Minerva would open up to young Harry and was glad to see it with his own eyes. Aurora and Lily's death… it had changed both of them, even though she wouldn't admit it. And she needed Harry's love as much as he needed hers.

Considering her previous anger, he was also quite glad that his wife had lowered her wand. True, Arina had chosen a more than painful question for both of them, but if it helped to convince her it didn't matter.

Letting his eyes wander over her body, he grew more and more concerned with each passing minute.

Albus knew that the last year must have been hard for her; he also knew that his 'death' contributed to that as well.

"Tabby," he pointed out carefully. He didn't want to break her moment with Harry, but Albus needed her to believe that it was really him. "It's your turn to ask now."

She stared at him for a moment, though she didn't let go of Harry. Oh how he had missed those eyes!

However, a sudden wave of guilt hit him. Her beautiful emerald eyes sparkled with unshed tears, hurt and anger. Albus knew that the ice-barrier she had built around her heart was exactly for moments like these. So she wouldn't get lost in dreams only to wake up and find out they weren't true. Yes, he knew very well that he should have told her about his plan in advance; it would have prevented her heart from being broken once more. He had made a mistake and his wife had suffered; another reason why didn't care about what she'd do to him. As long as she'd forgive him one day…

"The first time…" she finally whispered and ignored all the people around her. "The first time you ever said you loved me. When was it?"

Albus heard a couple of 'oohhs' and 'aawws' from the people around them, but he only sighed in relief and sent her a thankful glance. He had expected yet another question that brought up rather painful memories… but this was indeed one of his favourites…

 _He had waited patiently in the Great Hall and watched as all his classmates entered, one after another… he had already feared that she wouldn't come and then… he turned towards the entrance doors and there she stood… the beautiful emerald eyed witch… her blonde hair was cascading down her bare shoulders… the ball gown she wore matched her eyes and hugged her slim figure perfectly… all eyes in the room were drawn on her… the mysterious beauty that had attended a couple of their classes for a couple of weeks… back then, he had only known her name was Esmeralda… they had a rough start at the beginning… admittedly, Albus had been a self-centric, egoistic student… fascinated by Grindelwald… but her arrival had changed it all…_

"Albus!"

"Stop daydreaming and answer the bloody question," Alastor and Aberforth screamed a little annoyed. Poppy elbowed them both in return.

Albus ignored them both and held his wife's glance. "Graduation ball."

Rolanda snorted. "Honestly, knowing you have been the blond man only in disguise, I could have answered that question as well. And probably the rose-bushes as well!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, a couple of laughter erupted from the people around them – naturally Xemerius was the loudest of them. Narcissa chuckled as well and leaned back against Severus' chest.

' _Let's hope these two will get over their stubbornness soon,'_ Albus thought with the hint of a smile on his face. _"Young Draco also deserves a little happiness in his life…"_

The elderly wizard turned back to his wife's long-time friend. "Really, Rolanda?"

"I'm not satisfied with that answer either," Minerva gave him a challenging, yet hopeful look.

In return, he gave her a soft smile. "It was _my_ graduation ball. 1936.."

People started talking all at the same time, but Albus didn't care.

" _Your_ Graduation?! How the bloody hell is that even possible?" Augusta, Alastor and Rolanda shouted at the same time, wide eyed and open mouthed.

Again, Albus didn't care. All he could do was look into Minerva's eyes and the way they had lit up at his answer made him happier than anything else at the moment.

He watched as she even gave Harry a little kiss on the cheek before she half-heartedly answered " _Time-travel_ …" before she flung herself into his arms.

.

Albus immediately put his strong arms around her now shaking body and held her as she quietly sobbed against his chest.

He mumbled words of nonsense into her ear until the tears slowly stopped flowing.

The elderly wizard then lifted her chin carefully and looked into her still teary eyes. However, the sadness was soon replaced by anger.

"How could you do this?" She shouted angrily and balled her hands into fists. "How could you do this to me? To Arina? To _Harry_?"

Albus sighed and guilt boiled up in him again. "I'm so sorry, my love. I'm so sorry."

Tears once again started to flow down her cheeks and she hammered her fists against his chest in a rather desperate gesture.

But he let her. It didn't hurt very much and if it helped her to get her emotions in check he would gladly play her punching-ball.

He was very well aware of the fact that every eye awake in the room was lingering on them.

Aberforth grinned like an idiot; Alastor's eye rotated like crazy; Molly sniffed happily in a tissue; Arthur whispered something to Bill and George; Fleur, Ginny, Luna and Hermione smiled brightly at them. Augusta and Poppy were handing Xemerius a couple of Gallons and Rolanda was still standing there open mouthed; Aidan, Severus and Narcissa chuckled softly and Arina and Harry looked at each other happily.

When Minerva stopped her 'attack', Albus lowered his eyes to look at her lovingly.

"Don't – _ever_ – do this again…" she mumbled and he wiped away the last remains of her tears. "I couldn't take it if – "

Her sentence was left unfinished for Albus had instinctively cupped her face with his hands and softly touched her lips with his own.

At first, she didn't move at all and the only thing he could her were the squealing sounds from the people around them.

But eventually, she pressed her thin body closer against his and returned his kiss fiercely. He immediately tightened his arms around her waist and drew her closer to him.

"I missed you, Tabby," Albus whispered, slightly out of breath, as they broke apart once again. He meant every single word of it; he had been waiting for so long to have her back in his life again and he would make sure to never again let her go again.

She didn't answer immediately, she just gave him this special smile that she always reserved for him.

They continued staring in each other's eyes, until Rolanda made a very _disturbing_ sound.

Albus chuckled slightly when he saw the bright crimson blush that was making its way over his wife's cheeks. Apparently she had just realized that they had kissed in public for the first time.

Rather awkwardly she turned around, though she didn't get rid of his arms around her.

"Once you have finished with sticking your tongues down each other's throats, Min, would you mind giving me a proper answer to _how exactly you ended up on Albus' graduation in 1936?"_ Rolanda asked with a raised eyebrow.

.

Minerva couldn't help but blush furiously again. ' _Damn Rolanda and her curiosity_.'

She was still incredibly confused that this was really Albus standing in front of her; happy and alive. It was like a dream come true.

But despite her newfound happiness, the fact that she had something to live for again made it even harder to accept the fate that the 'mors ad crutiam' caused her.

She knew very well that she now had to explain it to Albus and Arina and everyone else sooner or later... but she just didn't know how...

Shaking her head, she decided to focus only on Rolanda now; her disease and its affects only on the back of her mind now...

"You know, I'd like to know that, too," Arina mentioned casually as she leaned back against her husband with a smugly smile on her face. "After all, don't you always tell everyone how dangerous it can be to use a time-turner?"

The emerald eyed witch loved her daughter dearly, she really did. But in moments like these she inwardly cursed her for putting her on the spot in such a away; and the fact that she had to justify herself in front of a lot of her former students only made matters worse.

"It was an _accident_ , Kitten…"

Augusta started laughing. "You accidently used a time-turner?"

" _No_. I used it to be able to attend more Hogwarts classes, Auggie."

"The same way I did?" Hermione asked curiously.

Minerva nodded with a small smile on her face. "Yes, I just accidently dropped it and it broke. I thought it wasn't a big deal… but well, it kind of transported me back a lot further than I thought and it took some time to repair the bloody thing again."

Rolanda shook her head. "And you fell in love with a boy from the past?"

"Believe it or not, Rolanda, this wasn't the plan."

Alastor looked at Albus and cackled a little. "So she had you wrapped around her little fingers from the start, hmm?"

Albus luckily just chuckled and put his arms around her shoulders. "I really wish it was that easy. She told me her name was Esmeralda and despite a rather …"

"Rocky."

"Yes, _rocky_ start… I completely fell for her. But after the Grad-Ball… I never saw her again," Albus was a little lost in thoughts now. "And I spent years searching for her because I realized that life is more than merely staying alive… You can imagine how surprised was when I found out that the girl I fell in love with all those years ago was actually Minerva. "

.

Narcissa stared happily at the happy couple in front of them. She had always suspected that there was more going on between them than they let on, and she was delighted to see that – even after so many years – they were obviously still very much in love with each other.

The way the elderly wizard had his strong arms wrapped lovingly around the emerald eyed witch's body was truly a cute sight.

But even though she tried, the youngest Black sister couldn't quite suppress the feeling of jealously that crept up inside of her. For years, she had lived under Lucius' abusive roof and she just hoped that things would work out for her in the future.

She wanted Draco to be happy again, she wanted him to make friends; better ones than he had so far…

"Would you mind coming with me for a moment?" Severus suddenly whispered into her ear. "I'd like to take a walk in the silent night. I haven't done it in a long time."

Feeling like a girl with a silly crush again, Narcissa managed to keep her cheeks from blushing and nodded simply.

"Don't stay out too late; the grounds still aren't save," Minerva reminded them, using her overprotective motherly voice.

"Let's make a deal," Severus mused as he turned around once more to face the elderly witch. "We'll be careful and you all get some sleep. We've got quite a lot of work to do tomorrow, haven't we?"

For a moment, Narcissa thought the emerald witch would argue. But she only exchanged a look with Aidan and nodded.

However, before she could say anything else, the little mirror in Arina's hands started to glow again and she watched fascinated as young Potter and Hermione were once more sucked into the mirror.

"They'll be fine," Draco told her reassuringly and a gesture of his hands signaled her that he was alright with her going outside.

"Catch some sleep as well, will you, Draco?"

"I will, mother."

Giving him a small smile, she quietly excited the Great Hall, leaving the people who surprisingly gave her a new chance at life behind. All she heard were a couple of voices speaking spells to create more beds in the Hall.

Careful not to cause another ceiling to fall down, they quickly walked through the entrance doors into the quiet night.

Sitting down on the steps, they were quiet for a moment.

"What happened to Lucius?" Severus finally asked the question she had dreaded the whole time.

"Why would you ask that, Sev?"

He took her small hand in his, but didn't look at her. "Because I _know_ him. And he would never let you go. Not without a fight."

Narcissa took a deep breath to steady herself. "I fear that if I tell you… you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore."

Finally, he looked her in the eyes; his black ones full with hope. "That will never happen."

Nodding, she leaned her head on his shoulder and grabbed his hand harder. Looking at the stars that shone at the dark sky, she decided to tell him the truth.

"He attacked me. Threatened me to hurt Draco," she whispered hoarsely. "He was about to come here and punish him for his failure. And I couldn't let that happen."

She felt that he sucked in a deep breath. "What did you do?"

"Vita non est vivere sed valere vita est…" Narcissa mumbled half-heartedly.

"What?"

"Life is more than merely staying alive," the blonde witch replied and leaned her slightly freezing body closer against his. "I stopped him from hurting my son… I used the _'Sectum Sempra'_ against him."

* * *

 **The next update is coming soon, I promise!**

 **Tell me what you think! xoxo**


	17. Like a light in the shadows

**Hello my lovely readers!**

 **I know, it took longe than expected, but here's the new chapter!**

 **\- Paige: Thank you so much for your continued support! Especially for telling me to go ahead with my crazy ideas! *hugs* Here's a new chappie with A LOT of memories!  
\- Katiarange: Yeah, I think Lucius deserved that fate, too, lol. Glad you like it so far!  
\- Panther73110: Goodness, you are very good at reading between the lines! Very observant of you to pick up the details about hair, eye-colour and the ashes! *hands out cookies* I hope you will still continue reading :)  
\- Loles: So happy to hear you liked it so far!  
\- TealBlueEyes: Yayy! Happy to see you think like I do about how Minerva would react :)  
\- Guest: You are right about Aurora *smiles*  
\- Guest2: Yes, Poppy is protecting somebody, you'll find out who that is soon *at least I hope so*  
\- Ramona: Thank you so much, this makes me incredibly happy!  
\- 168alu: Thank you, I'm relieved you like it!  
\- SchaMG: Sorry again that it took so long... and thanks also for the review you left on my other story!  
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 **So, I hope I answered all your lovely reviews! Again, thank you all so much! Your continued support is really important for me! Also, thank you to all of you who favourited/followed the story! *hands out cookies***

 **Now, enough of my talking, here's the next chappie, I hope you enjoy it, tell me what you think!**

 **Words: 9,686**

* * *

 **Like a light in the shadows**

* * *

"Mum, where the hell are you?"

Petunia's heat jumped into her throat. She hadn't expected anyone to follow her; especially not to this house. But apparently she had underestimated her son.

Reluctantly she turned her head a little. "Attic," she shouted down the stairs and the sound of footsteps she heard indicated that Dudley made his way over to her location.

Soon, the door opened and she looked into the pale blue eyes of her son. She was still a little amazed by the way her boy had changed over the last couple of month. He had lost a lot of weight and with his dark blond hair and pale blue eyes he now resembled his mother a lot more than his father.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Dudley sighed as he closed the door behind him and looked at his mother, who was still kneeling on the dusty attic floor.

Petunia just sighed and started to rummage through one of the many boxes around her. "I wanted to be alone for a bit."

The young man took a couple of steps forward. "You and dad had another fight?"

The look on the blonde's face was enough of an answer. "If it helps, I'm on your side, mother."

She smiled a sad smile. "I'm glad you came, Dudders."

"Well, what are you doing here anyway?" Dudley asked as he sat down on the ground next to his mother.

Petunia gestured towards all the big boxes filled with stuff. "I was trying to clear my head..."

"By looking through old stuff in an old house?"

A soft chuckle escaped her. _'How was he supposed to know what this house meant to her?'_

"This… this was my parents' house. I only came back a couple of times since I married your father… and I don't know… after Da' finally joined mother… I never really got around to sort all those things out," she explained and held up a small puppet. "I didn't even know they kept all of our childhood things."

Naturally, Dudley had picked up on her choice of words. "Our?"

Another sigh escaped her. "Mine and Lily's."

The blue eyed young man nodded slowly. "Did you really hate her?"

Petunia avoided looking at him. "I regret it, but there was I time when I did. I – I just loved her so much, and then she left me… found new friends… a new family… I never was a part of all that."

A moment of silence passed where neither of the two spoke a word.

"The last thing I said to her before she – before she died was that I never wanted to see her again," Petunia whispered in a thick voice. "Then the house exploded… magic was the reason she went to that school and magic was what's got her killed in the end."

Dudley nodded. "You knew that Harry would have inherited that magic, didn't you? You were afraid that magic would take him from you the same way it had taken your sister… that's why you never wanted him to go to Hogwarts."

Petunia felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "He was all I had left of her. But Vernon never understood… he thought I _hated_ Lily and Harry, whereas I was only scared that their magic would take them away from me."

"Do you know where he is now? Harry, I mean?"

The elderly woman shook her head. "I have no idea. I just hope the boy is save."

Dudley nodded and made his way over to another one of the boxes. His eyes focused on a little black velvet box. "What is that?"

"What is what? I haven't even started to look through all of them, Duddy. Let me see."

He handed her the little box, which she opened carefully.

Upon seeing what was lying in there, her eyes widened. "I haven't seen that in years…," she mumbled, ignored the little piece of paper that was also lying in there for the moment and traced the elegant little golden necklace with her slim fingers.

Dudley looked utterly confused.

"I need to contact Harry," Petunia finally said, and Dudley stared at his mother as if she had completely lost it. "This belonged to Lily. It's only right that he should have it."

"How are you going to reach him, mother? You got an owl nobody knows about?" Dudley joked.

Petunia smiled. "Do you really think your father would allow an owl in the house?" she joked back. "But I know someone who _should_ have one…"

* * *

Minerva slowly and carefully closed the door of the Great Hall behind her. With the little candle in her hand, she quietly made her way through the by now completely in darkness covered Hall. With every single step, she felt more and more tired. But at least, Aidan didn't really object to her plans of taking one last stroll around the castle. Ever since Dolores had made her appearance, Minerva had this weird feeling inside of her, that this was only just the beginning.

She therefore had spoken with the remaining people of the 'Round Table', telling them to set everything up for the night. Apparently, they were as exhausted as the other people who were already in the land of dreams. Taking the last couple of steps, the ebony haired witch could already see the sleeping forms of her friends.

The had used the last remaining free spots in the Hall to set up their cots for the night. However, Minerva could hardly think of a time when the Great Hall had ever been packed with so many people as now. She saw that most of the couples already shared the small bed, lying pressed closely together in order to safe some space. Molly and Arthur, Fleur and Bill, were all cuddled together.

With a sigh, Minerva waved her wand and a couple of blankets instantly appeared. Ignoring the pain that the 'mors ad crutiam' caused her once again at the use of her magic, she carefully put them over the sleeping children. Well, young adults, she corrected herself. They have been through so much already that they were forced to grow up much faster than they should have.

A small smile crept upon her face when her eyes fell on Ginny and Ronald; the sight of the two siblings sharing the cot warmed her heart. But it was cold, and especially the girls shivered slightly in their sleep. Tucking the extra blanket carefully around the two Weasley siblings, she repeated the same action as she passed Draco and Narcissa, who had her arms safely wrapped around her son.

The witch's heart skipped a beat as she continued to watch them. Minerva could see on Narcissa's face that something was still troubling the younger witch, though she couldn't tell what it was, at least not yet. She had a slight feeling that it might had to do something with her sister Andromeda, and little Teddy, who were – unknown to Narcissa – sleeping in the very same room, at the end of the Hall.

Minerva knew about their rocky past, but she really needed the two sisters to get back in touch again. They probably didn't know it yet, but they needed each other. Yes, Minerva would have to think of a plan to get them to talk to each other…

Glancing in the other direction, her eyes wandered over the sleeping forms of Aberforth, Alastor, Severus, George, Xemerius and Albus. Naturally, neither of them shared their cot with anyone and Minerva couldn't blame them. Even a small chuckle escaped her at the thought seeing the men sleeping on these tiny little things. The cots were small as it was already, and all the men were quite tall after all.

Well, Augusta was also not the skinniest witch, but Neville was slim, so they didn't have any problems with their newest sleeping arrangements. And apparently, neither did Poppy, who shared with Rolanda and little Miss Lovegood.

'Well done, Poppy,' Minerva thought as she also put a blanket around her old friends and the blonde girl. 'Until we find Xenophilius, we need to take care of Luna.'

With one last sigh, Minerva turned around again. Her daughter was safely wrapped in Aidan's arms and they even had enough space on their bed and Minerva smiled. Before she had left the Hall for her round, Arina told her she'd stay awake until Harry and Hermione would return from the Mablomi. But apparently, she hadn't quite managed to keep her blue eyes open.

Despite the lack of space, there would still be a place for one last bed that Harry and Hermione could use for themselves. That left only one problem. Minerva didn't really know where she should sleep. Looking up at the ceiling, the emerald eyed witch wasn't sure whether or not she really wanted to sleep in the Hall at all.

The fundament looked as destroyed as the rest of the castle. It was only a matter of time until the spells Xemerius had set up would cease to function…. The people needed to be moved to a less dangerous place soon. Perhaps the could set up some tents on the grounds… on her previous round she had already mentioned it to Hagrid, who in return had promised her to look for the best possible place.

And well, McGonagall Manor was still an option, too. Not for everyone of course, but the manor had a lot of spare bedrooms. She would also have a talk with Molly tomorrow. The Burrow was still destroyed, and having the Weasley's in her home wouldn't be a lot of trouble…

"You should get some sleep, Tabby."

Minerva jerked around to stare into her husband's sleepy blue eyes.

"Merlin, Albus," she whispered, her hand still over her heart, "you scared me."

"I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention."

Minerva sighed. "There's not enough space for another bed," then she glanced at her watch, "the first one's will get up in a couple of hours anyway, I'll just wait for that, I suppose."

Albus shook his hand. "Nonsense. Come here," he said, removed a part of his cover and patted the empty space next to him.

The emerald eyed witch raised an eyebrow, but sat down on the edge next to him nonetheless.

"Are you sure?"

"Tabby, there's enough room for both of us."

She hesitated for a moment, but another wave of exhaustion hit her. Then she nodded, slowly moved her feet up and laid down next to her husband; enjoying the warmth that came from him.

Albus immediately put the cover over her and placed his strong arms around her.

"You do realize that we'll make it on the front page of the Daily Prophet if people see us like this in the morning, do you?" she mumbled, already half asleep.

The blue eyed wizard chuckled and tightened his arms around his wife, kissing her hair. "Who cares? Let them talk if they want to. They will find out about us sooner or later."

"I guess," Minerva mumbled and pressed her body closer against Albus'. "Just, just hold me, will you?"

"Always, Tabby."

* * *

Harry also yawned as he turned to Hermione, who was still getting back on her feet. "Merlin, I'm tired. Do you think this thing has a sort of 'stand-by' mode? I'd really like to catch some sleep. It's already way past midnight…"

The bushy haired witch shrugged. "I have no idea, Harry. Though I suppose that the Mablomi will show us enough memories now that we can sleep peacefully afterwards."

Suppressing the urge to yawn again, the young wizard just nodded and watched who the red liquid around them put the scene together. "I hope you're right… Now, where are we?"

 **December 1** **st** **, 1956** || **Strip club, London** || **05:57 am**

 _They were obviously in a night club; people were singing and dancing happily, some of them were sipping their drinks at the bar, others sat on the couch… talking, boasting, kissing, making out... A band was playing music in the background._

 _According to what the guest wore, it was an occasion for rather fancy looking people._

 _Soon, their attention was drawn upon a young woman with curly bonde hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her face was covered with make-up and she wore a dark, red lipstick. She also wore a very low cut and sleeveless dress; it was formfitting and stressed all the right curves of her body. With her little purse clutched under her arm, she immediately and elegantly walked across the dance-floor and sat down on a high chair next to the bar._

 _Harry noticed that all the male eyes in the room were staring at her; admittedly this young and blonde version of Professor McGonagall was indeed a sight to remember. Though Harry had never imagined her to be the type of person who'd willingly go in this kind of club…_

" _Can I get you something, beautiful?"_

 _A slightly older man had approached the emerald eyed woman and grinned at her smugly._

 _Young Minerva raised an eyebrow. "I'm waiting for someone," she replied shortly and winked at the bar-tender._

 _The man shrugged. "His fault if he doesn't show up on time, don't you think?"_

 _The emerald eyed witch smiled wickedly. "Who says I'm waiting for a man?"_

 _His eyes sparkled. "Sassy. I like that. Still, one drink?"_

 _Harry could see that she was only playing with him. "You're quite persistent, aren't you? Very well, Gin-Tonic then."_

 _The man's grin got even wider, but he ordered nonetheless. "Gin-Tonic, hmm?" he asked as he turned back to her. "Not many women drink something like that."_

 _Young Minerva flashed him secretive and seductive smile. "Well, I'm not any other woman."_

" _I can see that."_

Harry didn't like that man at all. And considering the date, this must have taken place one year after the emerald eyed witch got married to Professor Dumbledore. Why was she flirting with such an idiot?

 _Then, the elderly man grabbed their drinks from the bar. However, Harry and Hermione both noticed horrified how he poured a couple of white drops into young Minerva's drink. Both of screamed at the top of their lungs to warn the young woman, but of course, she didn't hear it._

 _She just smiled a little at him, before she took a sip. The man's smile widened with each passing minute._

 _Soon, young Minerva put her purse down next to her drink; her hand shanking. "I'm not feeling too well… If you excuse me for a moment…"_

 _She got up, but so did the brown haired man, who put his sweaty hand on her arm. "Let me help you, beautiful."_

 _This said, he put an arm around her waist, and half-walked, half-carried the by now completely exhausted woman through the doors of the club._

 _However, he didn't lead her back out on the street, but rather into a little and dark room._

" _What – what… this isn't the exit…" Minerva mumbled, and her eyes opened and closed repeatedly._

 _The man laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you, beautiful," he cackled and pushed her down on the couch, ready to get rid of her red dress._

 _Young Minerva closed her eyes. "I'd say I'm sorry, too… but believe me, I'm not," she whispered, then moved faster than Harry thought. Wide awake and as if the drug had lost its power, she sat up straight, then she used her elbow and punched him in the face, followed by a strong and probably very painful kick from her leg into his stomach._

 _The man immediately fell from the couch and groaned. "What the hell…? "_

" _Department for Magical Law enforcement: Auror office. You're under arrest, you little bastard," Minerva answered quickly, got up and pointed her wand at him – though Harry couldn't even think of a place where she could have kept it during this whole time…_

 _The man groaned. "I should have known…" he mumbled, then waved his hand and sent her flying backwards, but the witch whispered a couple of words in mid-air, and landed perfectly on her feet. Then she wordlessly cast a spell that caused ropes of fire to tie around the man._

" _Game over, Mr. Hamilton," Minerva hissed into his ear. "And believe me, I will be sitting in every single one of your court-sessions to make sure every one of the young women you killed will get justice!"_

 _Before the man could reply, the door burst open again. "Auror department! Mr. Hamilton, you're under arrest for torture, rape and murder of seventeen – "_

" _You two could have hurried up a little, Monty," Minerva interrupted and turned to face the man who had played the bar-tender earlier and Xem, who held her red purse in his hands._

 _Monty Potter just rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Sorry 'bout that… I suppose we got a little distracted by your outfit, Kitty. But I did manage to put the drug-antidote in your drink, so you should thank instead of lecture me."_

 _Minerva rolled her eyes and glared at both men, then changed with a wave of her hand her very low-cut dress into a pair of blue jeans and a fitting green blouse. "I swear, if you ever again make me wear something as terrible as that, I will personally end our friendship!"_

 _Xem, dressed as a guitar playing rock star with long brown dreadlocks, only laughed. "But Min, that's the best part about these undercover missions!"_

 _Monty nodded. "And I love to see it when you complain about your costumes. Besides, this time, Xem chose the dress, not me."_

 _The young emerald eyed witch rolled her eyes at her two friends. Then she waved her hand once again and the criminal man fell unconscious. "I don't know why I agreed to help you out again. I quit a couple of month ago, remember?"_

 _Harry's grandfather laughed even more. "Well, you shouldn't have left me like this. I tried to find a suitable substitute for you, but all the newbies in the Ministry are nothing but a bunch of blithering idiots. Even with all the training in the world, they'd never become part of the 'Ghost'-Team. Besides, helping me out once or twice will bring a little more action into your upcoming teaching career, Kitty."_

 _This statement seemed to trigger something in the young witch. She waved her hand, and instantly the time appeared in glowing letters._

" _Oh bloody hell," she cursed and turned towards Monty and young Xem. "It's already past six! This is my first day of teaching and because of you two, I'll probably going to be late!"_

 _Monty laughed whole-heartedly and clapped her on the shoulder on their way out of the dark club; their prisoner floating unconsciously behind them. "Ah, you're welcome, Kitty!"_

…

Harry laughed. "Honestly, I really wish I could have met Monty Potter. No wonder my dad was such a prankster."

Hermione smiled. "It's a wonder she didn't hex him."

"True. She could have hurt him, taking in consideration her magical skills. Not to forget to mention her acting talent."

"Well, she's been trained by your grandfather to take on the ghost-undercover missions. You heard him, you have to be good for a job like this."

…

 **July, 22** **nd** **1971** || **Streets of Diagon Alley**

" _Oh, thank you so much, Aunt Min, she's beautiful!"_

 _Eleven year old Lily Evans beamed at the Transfiguration Mistress. In her hands she held a large cage with a tiny, brown owl in it. Both little Lily and little Arina stared at the animal in awe._

" _You're welcome, Squirrel," Minerva said and smiled at both girls._

 _To both Harry and Hermione's surprise, she hadn't changed her appearance to the by now familiar looking persona of the blonde Esmeralda Pendragon. However, she wore not her usual green teaching robes, but formfitting dark crimson ones and her hair was in a less strict messy bun. If one didn't know it was the Professor, the people passing them probably hadn't even noticed her._

" _Have you decided how to call her yet, Lils?" Arina asked excitedly as the three made their way through the rather crowded streets._

 _The little red-haired witch shook her head. "No… though I thought it has to be something special. Something mystical perhaps?"_

 _Arina nodded smiling. "Yes, what about some sort of ancient goddess?"_

 _Minerva chuckled. "I don't recommend anything roman or greek… Everyone knows those legends, and people keep asking you about it…"_

 _Both girls started giggling. "Remember that one man asking if you were related to one of the gods?"_

 _The elder emerald eyed witch groaned, but smiled. "Don't remind me, kitten."_

" _Well, I doubt anyone asks an owl how she got her name, Aunt Min," Lily laughed, held on to her cage with one hand and took the ebony haired witch's hand with the other._

 _Minerva, holding both girls' hands now, lead them into the next shop. "Lucky little owl, then. Still, what about something form the ancient Egypt? That's a very magical and mystical area, as well."_

 _Before either of the girls could reply, Mr. Olivander appeared in front of them._

" _Ah, Minerva, lovely to see you here!" he greeted her, and shook her hand. "Nine and a half inches, fir, dragon heart string if my memory serves me correctly?"_

 _The transfiguration Mistress nodded, then glanced at the two girls, telling Lily to set down the cage and the rest of their shopping bags. "Quite right, Garrick. I am impressed by the amount of wand you are able to remember."_

 _The wand-maker looked at her proudly. "A very good opportunity to train my memory, Minerva. Besides, wands as – well, ancient – as yours are hard to forget."_

 _Minerva chuckled. "Lady Morgana would be happy to hear that, I'm sure."_

 _Olivander chuckled. "True indeed. Now, what do I owe this lovely visit of yours?"_

 _The emerald eyed witch smiled and carefully pushed both girls, who had shyly hidden behind her, into the front. "These two young ladies will be starting school this year, Garrick."_

" _Ah, they turn eleven so fast, don't they?" the wand maker mused and eyed both Lily and Arina with new found interest. "Now, where shall we start?"_

 _Lily and Arina exchanged a nervous look. Then, curiosity apparently got the better of her, and Lily stepped forward. "I'd like to start, please, Mr…?"_

" _Olivander, dear, now let me see… hmm… yes… let's try this one…"_

Harry laughed out loud when he watched the young version of his mother struggle with the wand. Similar to himself, she shattered a vase; the next wand caused all the windows to explode and so on.

 _One could see that the little red-haired girl got more and more frustrated with each wand she got._

" _Don't worry, Lily," Minerva said and encouragingly put a hand on her young charge's shoulder. "Back when I got my wand, I think I must have tried a dozen wands until I found the right one."_

" _And you destroyed half of my shop in doing so…" Olivander added sheepishly from the back of his store._

 _When he returned, he carried a very old looking box, with lions engraved into it. "Now, I'm curious. This wand is very special, and equally picky. It had been made centuries ago and so far it had rejected every witch or wizard who tried it…. But," he added upon seeing Lily's by now teary eyes, "that doesn't mean anything. Now go ahead and give it a flick."_

 _Carefully, the young witch picked up the wand and immediately, a soft breeze of air blew through her hair._

" _That's it, right?" Arina asked excitedly and both the wandmaker and the emerald eyed witch nodded smiling._

 _Relieved, Lily put the wand back into the box._

" _Interesting, very interesting…" he mumbled, then let his eyes wander from Lily over Minerva to Arina and back to the red-haired girl. "I wonder… Are you two girls related?"_

 _As answers, he got a simultaneous, "I wish," from Lily and Arina._

 _Minerva chuckled sadly, "No, but they're… close. Why do you ask, Garrick?"_

 _The old man waved his own wand and a similar looking box flew through the room into his hands. He offered it to little Arina, who, after making sure her mother agreed, carefully picked up the wand and flicked it._

 _To probably everyone's surprise, it caused the very same reaction. Arina's ebony hair also danced in the soft air and she glowed in a light red._

" _That was quick," Minerva said in amazement._

" _Interesting, very interesting indeed…"_

" _Care to enlighten us, Garrick?"_

 _The wandmaker looked up and nodded quickly, then he showed them the boxes with the two wands._

" _The first wand: Willow, ten and one quarter long, swishy. The second one: fir, also ten and one quarter long, swishy."_

 _Lily, Arina and Minerva looked equally stunned._

" _The only difference between the two wands is the wood. They even share the same core, made from the same griffin-heart-string," Olivander explained excitedly. "They are sister wands. Made by none other than Godric Gryffindor himself. They were meant for two girls with a very strong connection."_

 _Arina and Lily both smiled at each other and linked their arms._

" _Your friendship must be very strong, my dears. I have offered these wands to a lot of people in the past, none of them had as strong a connection as you did. I wish you both the very best of luck with these wands."_

 _Minerva was still staring at both girls with surprise, but soon shook her head to get rid of whatever she was thinking and handed Olivander the money. He whispered incomprehensible into her ear, which caused her eyes to widen._

 _Then, she turned towards the girls, and together they left the shop; both girls holding on to their now wands._

" _You know, I think I have a name for my owl," Lily mused as they continued walking through the streets of Diagon Alley._

" _So, what is it?" Arina asked excitedly._

" _I think, I'm gonna call her Amaunet. The Egyptian goddess of Air and hidden forces."_

 _Minerva laughed, and put her arms around each girl. "Hidden forces, indeed. I have no doubt about that after what happened with your wands today."_

…

While the blood-red waves of the mablomi once again changed the scene, Harry petted Batty on the head and Hermione smiled at the memory.

"Well that was interesting. Seems like they were meant to be together from the start."

Hermione nodded. "Indeed. And this once again proves that family is more than just people sharing the same blood."

Harry laughed and put an arm around his best friend. "I could say the same thing. You're my family, too."

….

 **January 1** **st** **, 1979** || **Potter House, Godric's Hollow** || **late at night**

 _Arina, Lily, Aidan and James were all seated around the little kitchen table in their new house, watching Hermione's mother Jean pacing nervously in front of them._

" _Sis, why don't you calm down for a moment, hmm? You're driving us all crazy," Aidan laughed as he took another sip of his drink._

 _The bushy haired woman ignored her little brother and continued._

" _Liam's birthday is on the 5_ _th_ _, and I still don't have a present for him!" she complained._

 _Arina chuckled, and re-filled Jean's wine-glass._

" _We don't have anything either, Jean," Lily added, "hence the meeting tonight."_

" _Besides, he's a dentist… worst case scenario: we give him a package full of tooth-paste! I'm sure he'll like that."_

 _Simultaneously, both Lily and Arina elbowed James for his comment. "Hey, at least I'm making suggestions here!"_

" _Well, what does he like apart from that?" Aidan asked his sister._

 _Jean sighed, but finally stopped pacing around and tasted the wine. "Books. But he already got a whole lot of them."_

 _Arina laughed. "Ah, like my mother. I doubt there's a book she hasn't read yet…"_

" _I agree," Lily nodded, "books are out of the question. Anything else?"_

" _What about a nice dinner in his favourite restaurant?"_

 _Lily rolled her eyes at her soon-to-be-husband. "Oh James, and what about us? We agreed to get him something 'big' together, remember?"_

" _Oh… well…"_

" _Besides, he prefers cooking himself…"_

" _I could draw him a painting of Jean's – "_

" _JAMES."_

" _Alright, alright."_

 _Arina took another sip of her wine. "He likes sports, doesn't he?"_

 _Jean nodded. "Yes, though it's not the right season for any football for tennis games…"_

 _The witch's blue eyes started to sparkle. "Perhaps, but they do play Quidditch every time."_

 _All eyes were staring at her now._

" _You want to get him a ticket for a Quidditch game?" Lily asked, ignoring James's "Wicked!"_

 _Jean looked at Arina with new found interest. "You think that's possible?"_

" _What, getting two muggles into a stadium?" Aidan asked, laughing. "Shouldn't be a problem with the right connections…"_

 _Arina smiled. "I can pull a few strings, and we could go and watch one of the world-cup pre-matches."_

" _Brillian idea, A! I'm sure Liam would be thrilled!" Lily added excitedly._

 _They all turned their eyes on Jean, to see her reaction. "Well, it would most certainly be something special! Let's do it."_

…

Harry stared at Hermione with wide eyes. "They really went to see a Quidditch match?"

"Yes, they did. Though they only told me about it when they learned that I – like uncle Dan – had magic, too. Before that, Dad always talked about one of the 'best tennis-matches' he had ever seen."

The boy-who-lived laughed. "Tennis in January, huh?"

The bushy haired witch giggled. "Yeah, he wasn't really thinking that one through properly…"

…

 **August, 31** **st** **1947** || **McGonagall Manor, Minerva's Bedroom** || **21:00 pm**

 _The sight that greeted them was truly adorable. Little eleven-year-old Minerva, with her hair braided in to tails, sat on her four-poster bed in a nicely decorated room. A candle on her nightstand was enlightening the room, so the little girl was able to read the book in her hands. The room was neat and tidy, a large bookshelf decorated one wall and a big trunk was standing in one of the corners._

 _Then, a soft knock on the door was to be heard._

" _Come in," the young emerald eyed girl called and the door slowly opened._

 _An even smaller little girl about five with bright, amber-coloured eyes and small freckles entered shyly. Her hair colour was a fascinating mix between ebony and red, and it looked different whenever the light changed. Around her neck she wore a small, delicate golden necklace with a sparkling ruby-red coloured heart-shaped stone hanging on it. The bright purple nightgown swished softly on the white marble floor, and she held a stuffed squirrel clutched in her tiny little hands._

 _With her small legs she walked towards the bed and climbed into it as good as possible. Little Minerva put her book aside and helped her in._

" _Athena, what are you doing here? You should be in bed by now," the emerald eyed girl giggled softly and tickled her little sister._

 _The smaller girl laughed and laughed until Minerva released her._

" _I don't want you to go, Min. Please don't leave me," the little girl finally said, and her amber eyes filled with tears as she positioned herself next to the elder McGonagall girl._

 _Minerva sighed in realization. She opened her arms and hugged her little sister tightly. "I_ _will never leave you, Thena."_

 _The little girl wasn't able to hold back her tears anymore and she started to cry. "But – But Mummy said you'll go to Hogwarts tomorrow! And I'll never see you again!"_

" _Oh, Athena! I will be back here again sooner than you think! I will be returning for all the holidays, don't you worry."_

 _Tear filled amber eyes met emerald green ones. "Promise?"_

 _Little Minerva held her hand over her heart. "I promise."_

 _Seeing that her little sister was still holding on to her stuffed and fluffy squirrel, she leaned towards her and whispered into her ear, "Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?"_

 _Athena's amber eyes immediately started to sparkle. "Can I really? Oh yes, please!"_

 _The ebony haired girl moved the cover and the smaller girl crawled underneath it, snuggling closely to her sister, holding her squirrel with one and playing with the heart-shaped necklace with her other hand. "I love you, Minnie."_

 _Minerva smiled and stroked her hair. "I love you, too, Athena."_

…

Hermione felt the tears running down her cheeks, and glancing at Harry, the young witch saw that he was fighting the tears in his eyes as well. It was so incredibly lovely and tragic at the same time, seeing the two sisters so happy together. It was the first memory of little Athena, though it was enough for Hermione's heart to break. Especially knowing the fate of the reddish-brown haired young girl. First she lost her parents, and then her little sister… the bushy haired witch was able to understand her favourite Professor better and better with each passing memory.

Knowing how close the sisters really were, it was no wonder that Augusta was so surprised that the emerald eyed witch passed her sister's ruby-heart necklace on to her daughter Aurora. After all, it was probably the last remaining piece she had left from her little sister…

And just the thought that this pink toad Umbridge had something to do with Athena's death made her bristle with anger. If Hermione was in her Professor's place, she probably would not have been able to control herself when facing Umbridge…

Hermione just hoped that Moody would stick to his promise and take the pink toad to Azkaban tomorrow.

…

 **August, 4** **th** **1973** || **Rose Gardens near McGonagall Manor** || **10:00 am**

" _Alright, did you both read the chapter's about the spiritual transformation?"_

 _38-year-old Minerva was standing in a short green skirt and white T-shirt in front of the thirteen-year-old girls. The sun was already shining up in the light blue skies, and the landscape surrounding McGonagall Manor was just magnificent._

" _In order to successfully complete the animagus transformation, one has to be mentally prepared for what is going to happen," Arina quoted proudly._

" _There is no way of knowing your animal form, therefore one has to be open for every possible outcome," Lily finished excitedly._

 _Minerva nodded slowly. "And you are both aware of the fact that should someone ever find out about this, we're all in very big trouble, okay?"_

" _Got it," both girls replied smiling._

 _The emerald eyed witch shook her head at the girls' eagerness, but couldn't help but smile proudly. "Very well, then, let's do one at a time. Kitten, you go first."_

 _Arina stepped forward, the wand ready in her hand. Then she closed her eyes and used her wand to draw three circles over her head. Soon, she started to glow in a silvery-light and her body changed._

 _Both Minerva and Lily watched the transformation fascinated and a couple of seconds later, the place Arina had been standing earlier was now occupied by a tiny little kitten with fluffy black fur and sparkling bright blue eyes._

" _Aww, a kitten, we should have known she'd turn into that, Aunt Min," Lily exclaimed and grinned at her 'Aunt', who just smiled brightly at her daughter._

 _Kitten-Arina tried to walk, though it looked like having four legs instead of two caused a little complication, because after just a couple of steps, the little black kitten was rolling on the green grass. Both Minerva and the red-haired girl laughed whole heartedly._

" _Not as easy as it always looks, hmm?" Minerva asked the kitten, who just gave a cute 'mieow' in return. Lily on the other hand reached out and softly petted her best friend, who – to everyone's amusement – started to purr loudly._

" _Ah, like mother like daughter, hmm?"_

 _Everyone turned around to see Albus and Xemerius walking towards them. The latter grinning from ear to ear. "You do realize that what you're doing is highly illegal?"_

 _Minerva blushed sheepishly. "The wards around the manor are so thick, they can perform as much magic here without anyone noticing."_

 _Albus approached the three, gave Lily a thigh hug, then kissed his wife. "I think Xemerius was talking about the unregistrated animagus thing, my dear."_

 _The silvery-eyed wizard just laughed. "Ah, I was just joking. Hey there kiddo, come here to Uncle Xem."_

 _Kitten-Arina tried as best as she could, and after some time, she really managed to climb on his bended knee. "Well done, kiddo," Xem said and petted his god-daughter._

 _Albus, whose arm was still resting around his wife, shook his head in amusement. "Wonderful, now I can watch both of you chasing after mice."_

 _Minerva nudged him softly. "Oh come on, I haven't played with a mouse in ages!"_

 _The auburn haired man just nodded and turned to the red-haired witch. "Your turn, Lily."_

 _Smiling brightly, Lily repeated Arina's actions until she too was glowing in the silvery light._

" _10 Galleons she'll also be a cat," Xemerius shouted over to Minerva, while he was still playing with kitten-Arina._

" _10 against it, Xem," Minerva answered grinning._

 _With anticipation, the adults and kitten-Arina watched Lily's transformation. Soon, it was complete and Minerva's smile widened when she saw the little red squirrel on the green grass._

" _Well done, my loves," the young transfiguration Mistress said proudly and watched amusedly as the kitten and the little squirrel started to play on the ground._

 _Xem on the other hand, handed Minerva her well earned money. "Bloody hell, and I was so sure!"_

 _Laughing, the emerald eyed witch accepted the money, then turned back to her daughter and charge. "Now, how about you try to change back, hmm? Just remember, concentrate on changing every single part of your animal body into your human form again. One, two, three."_

 _Lily was the first to change back. She almost managed it perfectly, only the bushy red squirrel tail was still visible. "Oh no! I still have a tail!" she said, blushing a bright crimson._

 _Minerva laughed. "Don't worry, my little Squirrel," she answered and with a flick of her wand, Lily was as good as new._

" _Thanks, Aunt Min," Lily replied happily at being her whole self again and at the new nickname._

 _Arina, like Lily, was close to a perfect transformation. The only difference was that the blue-eyed girl still had whiskers in her face. But a flick of Albus' wand later, and that problem was solved as well._

 _After that, both girls hugged each other, started giggling happily and ran back towards the Manor._

 _Albus tightened his arms around his wife as they slowly followed the girls and whispered in her ear. "She reminds me of Athena."_

 _Minerva nodded, a somewhat sad and at the same time happy smile on her face. "I know, me too. Squirrels have always been her favourite animals."_

…

Harry smiled from ear to ear. "They were animagi! Arina and my mother, both of them!"

Hermione nodded. "Your mother was a damn cute squirrel. At least now we know why Professor McGonagall always called her 'Squirrel.'"

"I could have sworn my mother would change into a doe, though. I mean, judging by her patronus…"

The bushy haired witch nodded in agreement. "Yes, that could have been very likely as well. But think about it, your mother did kind of resemble little Athena, don't you think?"

The boy who lived nodded. "Yes, point taken. Still it's so amazing that she thought the girls!"

"Yes, right? I wonder if she'd consider teaching us, too…"

"Us?"

"Come on Harry, have you never thought about it?"

Harry blushed. He had indeed, a lot more than he probably should. But after all, Sirius and his dad had also been able to change into an animal, and knowing that both his mother and godmother had managed to become Animagi, Harry naturally wanted to follow their example.

…

 **November 2** **nd** **, 1976** || **Hogwarts grounds** || **23:27 pm at night**

 _It was a starry night, with no clouds at all covering the skies. The full-moon was shining high, enlightening together with the faint candle light that was coming from the Castle the wide grounds of Hogwarts._

 _After some time, 19-year-old Aidan Gold quietly made his way over the grounds, until he reached the shore of the Black Lake._

 _Keeping a little distance, he watched the clearly female figure that was lying a couple of meters in front of him. She was resting on her back, her head resting on her arms, and she was staring up at the stars._

 _Taking a deep breath, he approached the girl and carefully positioned himself next to her._

" _You shouldn't be out here on your own, Princess" he whispered to the ebony haired witch, who apparently just noticed him. "It's dangerous to be out at this late an hour. Especially for a champion."_

 _16-year-old Arina almost jumped at hearing the unexpected voice, but calmed down when her blue eyes spotted the Hogwarts Headboy next to her._

" _Holy Morgana, you gave me a fright!"_

 _Aidan chuckled. "I apologise, this wasn't my intention. Do you mind?" he asked and gestured with his hands._

" _No, not at all," Arina answered and Aidan mirrored her position on the ground._

 _For a minute, both of them just watched the stars; neither of them saying a word._

" _I never wanted this. To become the Ilvermorny Champion," the ebony witch finally whispered._

" _I think a lot of your classmates envy you for this," the 7_ _th_ _year said thoughtfully._

 _Arina sighed. "Believe me, I would change with them in a heartbeat. If only to spare my mother nightmares about me getting killed."_

" _I have no doubt about that."_

" _You don't?"_

" _No. In the short time I've known you, I can tell that you're not the kind of girl that likes everyone's attention being fixed on her," Aidan chuckled and Arina joined him. "Besides, I kind of investigated in the Ilvermorny School history…"_

 _The blue-eyed witch laughed. "You did?"_

" _It was for a history of magic project a couple of years ago… I still think it is a very unfair way that the Headmaster forces his best students to throw their names into the goblet."_

" _Yeah… it really is. But there was no way around it. Deputy Professor Brooks tried to reason with the Headmaster, but he was very determined that Ilvermorny wins this year's tournament…"_

 _Aidan nodded. "Well, from what I've heard he has a very good chance to hold the trophy in his hands then."_

 _Despite the darkness around them, one could clearly see the crimson blush that was colouring Arina's cheeks._

 _Another moment of silence passed, before Dan spoke once again._

" _So, I take it you already heard the announcement about the Yule-Ball?"_

 _The girl chuckled, but kept looking at the stars above them. "Well, I'd say it was hard to ignore it."_

" _A lot of people already asked you, hmm?"_

 _The blue eyed witch sighed. "You could say that. Though the just ask me because I'm a bloody Champion, not because they really want to know me. I'm not sure if I really want to go anymore."_

" _Understandable."_

 _Arina raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really?" she chuckled, "you're the first to say that. Everyone else just keeps telling me not to be so picky."_

 _The 19-year-old also chuckled. "Well, I have a similar problem."_

" _Ah, you mean all the girls that are chasing after you?"_

" _Yes, and I'm running out of hiding spots. They keep following me everywhere."_

" _One of the downsides of being Headboy, I assume?"_

 _Dan sighed. "I guess."_

" _Well, at least you don't have to worry about showing up alone. You have plenty of girls to choose from."_

 _The 7_ _th_ _year turned his head slightly to look at the ebony-haired beauty. "There's only one girl I want to accompany me to the ball, but so far I wasn't able to work up the courage to ask her."_

 _Arina nodded, a little lost in her own thoughts. "You should ask her."_

" _I don't want her to say no. She's very important to me."_

 _Finally, Arina also turned her head and for a moment, they just stared into each other's eyes – chocolate brown meeting ocean blue ones._

" _If you don't ask you'll never know. Besides, I doubt any girl would decline you."_

 _Aidan chuckled. "I wouldn't be so sure, she's already turned down quite a lot of guys."_

 _The blue eyed witch smiled at him kindly. "Well, what's the saying? Do the brave thing and bravery will follow."_

 _They laughed together, then the young man looked at her with hopeful chocolate brown eyes. "Well, then, would you do me the honor to accompany me to the ball, Princess?"_

 _Arina's blue eyes widened and she sat up straight on the grass, looking down at Aidan. "You want to go to the ball with me?" She repeated, not quite believing her ears to have heard right._

" _Yes, only with you," he whispered as he sat up as well. "Like I said, you're very important to me."_

 _Arina's stunned expression turned into a smile, her cheeks a rosy colour. "I'd love to go to the ball with you, Dan," she whispered in return and their eyes met once again._

 _Aidan sighed in relief, which caused the young girl to chuckle._

" _You really thought I'd say no?"_

 _He looked at her sheepishly. "I didn't want to get my hopes up to high, Princess."_

 _At the use of that particular term, the ebony haired witch blushed a bright crimson. "Dan, I'm not a Princess."_

 _Carefully, the young man took her small hand into his own, and stared at her with loving brown eyes. "You are to me."_

…

Hermione squealed happily. "Aww, that was so romantic."

And even Harry, who usually wasn't the right guy for something like this, had to admit that the scene was indeed one of his favourites so far. Aidan and Arina fitted each other perfectly and he could understand both of them, after all, he knew what it was like to be a bloody champion in that tournament. He remembered how all the men were following Fleur, Victor and Cedric… And like Arina had said, most of them were indeed very perceptible; they only wanted to be friends to get attention.

"He still calls her Princess," Hermione added, still smiling brightly.

Harry nodded. "Some things apparently never change."

…

 **August 1** **st** **, 1997** || **Hogwarts, Staff room** || **19:47 pm**

 _The room was almost empty, only a couple of people were sitting around a table. Professor McGonagall was seated at the one end, opposite to the slightly bigger chair that once belonged to Professor Dumbledore. Aidan was seated next to her, his eyes also red from crying, with little Arielle sleeping in a cot behind them. Xemerius was sitting on the emerald eyed witch's other side, brushing her fingers with his own every now and then in an attempt to offer the grieving witch comfort. The next people on the table were Madam Pompfrey, Professors Sprout, Flitwick, Hooch and Slughorn. As well as Perenelle and Nicholas Flamel. They all watched the entrance door, and visibly tensed as Minister Scrimgeour and other Ministry Officials entered the room._

 _Naturally, the Minister sat down on the late Headmaster's chair. Minerva's eyes darkened and she balled her hands into fists, but before she could open her mouth, Xemerius hissed, "That was Albus' seat. Get yourself another one, Minister."_

 _One could see that Scrimgeour wasn't happy with that, but seeing that every single person – minor his own workers – glared at him, he reluctantly vacated the seat and chose another one._

" _Good evening, everyone," he started his speech. "Now, I would have preferred to do this at the ministry, but – "_

" _I do apologize for the inconvenience, Minister," Minerva snapped and sarcasm was dripping from every word._

" _But I am flexible," he continued, completely oblivious to the Scottish witch's dangerous sparkling eyes._

" _Can we get this over with as quickly as possible?" Xem was clearly impatient._

 _Scrimgeour nodded a little irritated. "Erm, yes, of course," he mumbled and retrieved a small scroll of parchment form his bag. He cleared his throat._

 _"'The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. To my oldest friends, Nick and Penny, I leave the working-diary you forced me to write when I became your apprentice in the hope that you find my irritated thoughts as amusing as I did when I re-read it a couple of years ago."_

 _Despite himself, Nicholas started laughing and at the Minister's weird glance, he just shrugged and said. "We had a lot of fun back in the days, Minister."_

 _He didn't seem to understand, and simply handed him the desired object._

"' _To Rolanda Evelyn Hooch – "_

" _He really had to include my hated second name?"_

" _To Rolanda Evelyn Hooch, I leave the copies of her very own detention protocols, in the hope that will continue being the person she is now."_

 _The usually so funny witch, had trouble fighting the tears, and so did Professors Sprout and Flitwick and Madam Pompfrey upon being handed their inheritance._

" _To Aidan and Arina Gold, two of the most important people I have had the pleasure of having in my life, I leave my entire library as well as my old family Cottage, in the hope that there's enough room for you to think about giving little Arielle the sibling you always wanted."_

 _Dan swallowed hard, and accepted the keys with a short nod and an almost undetectable smile towards Minerva, who, despite all her grieve, managed to return it._

" _Then Dumbledore leaves his Deluminator to one Ronald Bilius Weasley, his copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard to Miss Hermione Jean Granger and Harry James Potter got the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match. Dumbledore also left a second bequest to Mr. Potter, but that was well..."_

" _Might I ask what that was?" Xemerius asked innocently.  
_  
 _"The sword of Godric Gryffindor," Scrimgeour answered somewhat stiffly and everyone in the room stared at him_

"I take it you have handed the sword to Mr. Potten then?" Minerva finally asked suspiciously.

 _ **"Unfortunately," said Scrimgeour, "that sword was not Dumbledore's to giveaway. The sword of Godric Gryffindor is an important historical artifact, and as such,belongs-"  
**_ _  
_ _ **"It belongs to Harry!"**_ _Minerva snapped the exact same words Hermione had used with the Minister "Not only that_ _ **it chose him, he was the one who found it, it came to him out of the Sorting Hat-"  
**_ _  
"Don't get me started on that, Minerva, I already got that lecture from Miss Granger. But I will tell you the same thing I told her:_ _ **According to reliable historical sources, the sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor," said Scrimgeour. "That does not make it the exclusive property of Mr. Potter, whatever Dumbledore may have decided."**_

 _To everyone's surprise, the transfiguration Mistress got up from her seat and glared down at the Minister. "If you had not interrupted me earlier, Minister, you could have spared yourself that speech. Albus was one of my closest and most trusted friends, and I am sure he had his reasons for leaving the sword to young Harry."_

" _That's beside the point, Minerva, your support doesn't give him the right to – "_

 _Minerva laughed dryly. "On the contrary, Minister. You are right, the sword appears to every Gryffindor who's worthy of it. But it was and will always be property of the Gryffindor family."_

" _What does this have to – "_

 _The witch completely ignored him. "And as a direct descendant from Godric Gryffindor, I am very well capable of giving the sword to anyone I want."_

 _That left the Minister speechless and he stared at the emerald eyed witch with his mouth hanging open. "You are…?"_

" _Yes. Now that we've established this, I demand of you to hand the sword over to Mister Potter as soon as possible. Over thirty days have already passed since Albus' will was released and if the Ministry hasn't found any hidden codes or messages in this time, I doubt you ever will."_

" _How do you – "_

 _This time, Aidan spoke. "Minister, do you really think we – as close friends of the deceased – don't find it suspicious when it takes a good month until a dead man's last requests are fulfilled? Besides, as much as I know, it is against the law to hold back – "_

 _Scrimgeour held up his hand. "It was a matter of national security."_

 _Xemerius laughed. "National security, whom are you trying to fool."_

 _The Minister fidgeted nervous with his bag._

" _Was this all, Minister?" Professor Sprout asked, and looked concerned at Minerva._

" _Not quite. Admittedly, we had our fair share of guesses, but now one could make something of it."_

" _Care to share, Minister?" Xemerius got more and more impatient with each passing minute._

" _Yes, one moment, ah, yes, here it is: 'Last but not least. To my kind friend, trusted adviser, and keeper of my heart, Minerva Esmeralda McGonagall, I leave my pensive, in the hope that she will remember the moments in the life we spent together, side by side. Apart from that – and here we didn't know what to make of it – I leave her nothing but my all."_

 _Minerva couldn't speak and she was fighting the teas that were threatening to fall from her emerald eyes. So instead, Xemerius enlightened the Minister._

" _What's there not to understand? She was his best friend. 'Nothing but my all' means she inherits every single one of his possessions."_

 _Then the silvery eyed wizard turned away from the stunned Minister and put an arm around his best friend, who in return put her head in on his shoulder._

…

Even though Harry knew by now that Professor Dumbledore was very much alive again, he couldn't help but wipe away the tears that had fallen from his eyes during that memory. He didn't dare to imagine in how much pain the transfiguration mistress had been back then, and having such an idiot like Scrimgeour messing around with her husband's last will only made the situation worse.

Feeling the similar tug in his stomach, the black haired boy already saw the red waves and prepared himself to be thrown out of the Mablomit again. The last thing on his mind before he hit the ground back in the Great Hall was how thankful he was that the emerald eyed witch had always fought for him; even if he didn't know it. The way she spoke with the Minister and how she wanted to make sure that he really got Gryffindor's sword filled his heart with warmth.

Holding out his hand to Hermione, he pulled her up and wiped away her tears as well. Then he whispered a quick 'lumos' in order to find a place to rest.

The Hall was completely crowded, and there was no possible place to set up a single cot.

Then something moved behind him.

"Damn you, Horace…." It was clearly the transfiguration Mistress' cursing voice and Harry almost laughed.

He turned around and saw that she was rolling her green eyes at Professor Slughorn, who was sprawled over one of the cots nearby.

"We originally planned his place for the both of you to sleep," the ebony haired witch mumbled in a tired voice, and Harry just now noticed that she was trying to remove her husband's arm that was holding her waist. How adorable.

"It's alright, we'll find another place to sleep…" Hermione whispered, not wanting to cause any trouble.

"Nonsense," the witch responded disapprovingly. "Why don't you lay down next to Arina, Hermione?"

A pair of hazel eyes sparkled again. "You think she wouldn't mind?"

The transfiguration mistress smiled kindly. "Of course not. I'm sure she'd be happy to have you close."

Hermione nodded thankfully and hugged Harry. "Night Harry, sleep tight."

"You, too, Hermione."

A tired smile on his face, he watched his best friend snuggle under the covers against his godmother.

Sighing, he waved his wand, conjured a pillow and got down in order to sleep on the floor. However, the emerald eyed witch spoke up unexpectedly again.

"Harry, do you really think I will let you sleep on this cold floor?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't want to cause trouble, really, I don't mind – "

"Why don't you come here to me, hmm?" emerald eyes looked at him kindly and she patted the empty space next to her.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and hope.

"Is it really…?"

The elderly witch chuckled slightly. "Come here, Harry. You need your sleep as much as anyone else."

Flashing her a thankful smile, he carefully climbed onto the cot and laid down next to her. He felt her pull the cover over him, as well as an arm that she laid around him; holding him close. In this very moment, Harry realized that just because he had never really seen it, didn't mean that he didn't have a family. Hermione, Ron, Ginny… they had always been there the whole time.

And now that he had Arina, he noticed that the emerald eyed witch had looked out for him and his mother this whole time. It was true, family was so much more than shared bloodlines. And finally Harry realized that he had been protected by a sight unseen for all those years, even though he hasn't been completely aware of it. And it felt good to finally know how much people really cared about him. It was like a little flicker of light in the shadows, bringing new hope for a better life.

"You're not alone, Harry," the woman he had always considered as a grandmother whispered into his ear, and they were the last words Harry hear before he finally drifted off to sleep; feeling safer than he had ever felt before. "I have some trouble letting people close to my heart, but you should know that I love you as much as I loved you mother. Whatever you need, I'll always be here for you."

* * *

[The **marked sentences** are taken from the books! JKR wrote them, I just borrowed them to get things as right as possible.]

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **TBC...**


	18. It's dark inside where demons hide

**Hello my lovely readers!**

 **I know, I've been gone for ages! And there's no real excuse for it... just real life hunting me down and burrying me underneath loads of work for University :(**

 **Additionally, I re-wrote this chapter so many times... I'm still not completely satisfied with it... but I hope that when I get it out, the next one will be easier to write (or I fear Minerva will come after me and hex me into the next century if I keep you guys waiting for so long ever again!)**

 **Again, thank you all so so much for fav/following the story! I doubt I'd be very motivated to continue without your support!**

 **Thanks also to** _JohninNH, Myserious Misty, Soulless Huntress, Rana ksiniczka, McGonagallFan, MissWing91, ProfessorMMAD_ **and all the** _Guests_ **for leaving so lovely reviews! *_* (Vielen Dank auch an meine(n) deutsche(n) Leser(in)! Hat mich sehr gefreut!)**

 **But now, back to the story! I hope you like it!**

 **All the best,**

 **Lexi**

* * *

 **Written for HSWW (challenges & assignments) |** The 365 day prompt challenge | 144. Genre – Family

 **Written for HSWW (challenges & assignments) | **The insane houses competition | 18. Character – Albus Dumbledore

 **Written for HSWW (challenges & assignments) | **2018 Yearly Event | Fanfiction resolution challenge | a fic set in Trio era

 **Words:** 9,231

* * *

 **It's dark inside where demons hide**

* * *

"You're quite welcome, dear. I'll send your letter there as soon as possible!"

The muggle woman with the blonde hair and pale blue eyes on the other side of the doorstep gave a small, relieved smile.

"Thank you, Miss Figg," she said and nudged her tall, slightly chubby son.

"Ah, yes, thanks, Ma'am."

"You're quite welcome. Wherever the poor boy is, my owl will find him," the old woman said sweetly and closed the door once they were out of sight.

As soon as the lock snapped, the woman shuddered, waved her hand and it took only seconds before the wrinkled face of Arabella Figg turned into the sharp, cold eyed features of the old man – aka Mr. Wind.

Luckily, he didn't have to play around with the hair colour – after all, the old lady's hair was also streaked with grey. That's the thing about getting old, he thought and glanced at the mirror on the wall, even with magic, there's no way around it. But funnily enough, he didn't mind the common process of aging. The dark grey of his hair suited him far better than the annoying brown colour he wore in his younger days – especially when it turned into honey-brown in the summer months… He hated that. After all, he wasn't one of those goody-two-shoes-boys with nice and neat hair now, was he?

Looking down his now once again male body, he sighed in frustration and another wave of his wand later, the purple dress he wore changed into his usual black robe. He smiled, but soon remembered that this street was full of muggles. So, after a small debate with himself, he considered that a change of wardrobe would be necessary – despite his obvious distaste of everything muggle. Seconds later, he used magic once again and soon stood there almost contently – wearing a pair of black trousers and a grey shirt.

"Now that's better," he mumbled to himself, albeit the disgusting thought of being stuck in the old hag's strangely smelling body was still in his nose.

Shoo-ing away a bunch of – what appeared to be a whole million – of cats that were living in this house, he turned towards the sofa.

Without hesitation, he slapped the sleeping, platinum blond haired man hard on the cheek.

Grey eyes opened; shock evidently written in them.

"What the…" he groaned as he tried to push himself in an upright position.

The old man smirked wickedly.

"Good morning, Lucius. Welcome back in the world of the living."

Glancing down his body, Lucius Malfoy saw the bandage that was neatly wrapped around his otherwise bare chest. At first, he looked positively puzzled, but soon, clarity replaced his confused expression.

Then, a sudden thought hit him and he turned around to stare at the man in front of him; eyes wide as if he had seen a ghost.

"What… aren't you supposed to be…"

The grey haired old wizard raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you referring to, Lucius? Supposed to be… imprisoned? Dead? Dismembered?" Here he cackled loudly. "Oh Lucius, you should know by now that I have my ways of surprising people."

Lucius opened and closed his eyes a couple of times, but no words came out.

He shook his head and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You know, in times like these, I'm really glad your parents arranged your marriage, boy. You're one hopeless case…"

At the mentioning of his marriage, Lucius' eyes widened.

"Oh, I take it your memory is returning?"

"Narcissa…" he the blond man growled. "She – "

The old wizard forcefully grabbed his chin. "Yes, a woman knocked you out with a simple, bloody spell," he hissed into the blond's ear. "Believe me, if I didn't need your services for my plan, I swear by Salazar Slytherin's grave that I would have let you bleed out without even the smallest bit of hesitation."

Lucius swallowed hard.

"It would have been the only rightful thing to do after being defeated in such an embarrassing way."

Letting go of his throat, Malfoy coughed heavily. "How – How did you manage to – "

"Free myself?" the old man interrupted. "I already told you that I have my ways. And just to make one thing clear, my dear Lucius."

Here he leaned in close so that their noses were almost touching. "In case you screw things up _again_ , I hope it is clear that, under no circumstances, you will – ever – mention our… little encounter today, understood?"

Lucius Malfoy swallowed hard.

"And before you ask," he continued in a harsh voice, "the use of Veritaserum is _no_ excuse."

"But I will have no other choice then but admitting that I've met –"

"That you've met a man called _Geralld Wind Jr._ ," the old man hissed. "That is the name I am currently using, so this should be efficient enough. The most amazing aspect about it is that the name isn't even made up out of the blue, as you should know. Sometimes, even I like to partially stick to the truth every now and then. It makes it even more hilarious to present a truth right in front of everyone's sight without them recognizing it."

Lucius was quiet for a bit. "A nice way to state your loyalty to your former master."

An evil smile appeared on the grey-haired man's face. "Indeed, it is."

Then, without giving the younger man a chance to speak, ' _Mr. Wind'_ continued; Petunia Dursely's letter still wrapped in his sweaty hands.

"You owe me, Lucius, and I just happen to have the perfect task for you. Now listen closely…"

* * *

Xemerius yawned heavily as the light of the morning sun shone upon his face. He grumbled something incomprehensible, then turned around on his cot once again in order to fall back asleep. However, luck seemed to have left him, for as soon as he had re-adjusted the covers again, he felt something _furry_ on his cheek. Well, not really furry, but not not-furry either. Sighing, the silver-eyed wizard opened his eyes rather reluctantly – he had never been an early riser. Even after he had quit his job as an Auror – working without Min would not have been the same after all – and taken the offer to become Professor for Muggle Studies at Ilvermorny, he never liked teaching classes in the early morning.

Admittedly, the sight that greeted him was thus far the best method of waking him up that he had ever received! Right there, only inches away from his face, sat the little bat, and gave him – what he assumed to be – a pleading expression.

"Heavens, you really want me to _pet_ you this early in the morning?" he whispered confused, but sat up quietly so that Batty could easily hop onto his lap. "I always thought bats didn't like morning light," he mused as he softly stroked his hand over the animal's skin (or fur… Xem really had no idea what it was called). "You seem to be of a special kind, aren't you, hmm? But don't you dare bit me okay? For all I know you could be a vampire just waiting to take a bite and have a wonderful Xemerius-tasting dinner…"

As a response, Batty only gave a small, affirming sound, which caused the elderly wizard to chuckle.

Lost in his own thoughts, he glanced around the Hall.

Nothing much had changed since the previous evening; how could it after just one night?

The walls still bore marks of the battle and glancing up at the ceiling, Xem felt his heart beating faster. ' _These spells won't be holding the ceiling for very much longer'_ he thought; worry making its way through every single one of his bones.

The situation was less then great, especially considering the many people that were still sleeping peacefully on their cot-like beds.

Xem didn't know many of them. Once upon a time – during the years he worked side by side with Minerva – he had met a lot of witches and wizards… but ever since he moved to the States, things had changed. Naturally, he cared for all of them, but the years in the field taught him that it was easier to only trust the ones he knew. His heart had been through too much already.

Surprisingly enough, it had taken him little time to get to love Hermione and Harry. Well, if he was completely honest with himself, it was not that surprising really. The way Minerva and Arina always spoke about the two, and even Albus, who had always informed him about their latest adventures, were evidence enough for Xem to see that these kids were really good at heart.

Sure enough, the same could be said for their friends.

Glancing around, he spotted Augusta with her grandson – what was his name again? Ah yes, - Neville. Another chuckle escaped him when he thought about how Augusta had changed over the years. From the very annoying first year student, to the crazy, lovable and sarcastic young witch who had fallen pregnant during their sixth year at Hogwarts… My, my, what a scandal that had been!

He shook his head, trying not to laugh out aloud. How Min and Poppy had been able to cover up her pregnancy and all that came along with it was still a mystery to him.

In order not to wake the others, Xem forced his thoughts to go into another direction and his eyes fell upon young Severus, who had his arms around the youngest Black Sister. These two never had it easy, he thought sadly. Narcissa, always overshadowed by her sisters, her uncaring mother, and a father who had never made a secret about the fact that he preferred young witches in his bed…

A shudder ran down his spine as he thought about how much courage it must have taken the blonde witch to submit the evidence that got Cygnus Black imprisoned… Back in the old days, the cruel man had earned himself the position of Lord Grindelwald's successor. Hell, some even called him "Grindelwald Jr." after the old Lord had been defeated. Luckily, he and Grindelwald's other followers – the knights of Walpurgis – had either been caught or forced to live in hiding. Xem secretly hoped they would all rot away in their cells in Azkaban. Or wherever they had been brought – some of them had even been in carried into newly built, completely isolated prison buildings on the island…

Xem shook his head again.

Looking at Narcissa's son sleeping next to her, the Ilvermorny Headmaster managed to smile again. Young Draco might have been misled a couple of times, but with the help of the _'golden trio'_ , as Minerva liked to call them, he would soon find his way onto the right path – and more importantly, stay on it.

Speaking of which, he grinned upon seeing the Weasleys – it was really impossible to deny the obvious relation amongst them… their red hair was a dead give-away.

Bill and Fleur were probably as happy together as Arthur and Molly; George also slept peacefully knowing that his brother Fred was indeed very comfortable with his new ghostly appearance; Ronald, who had managed to finally get his own girl, snored loudly and Ginny was snuggled underneath the covers next to him – she was Xem's personal favourite.

Well, again, that wasn't quite true, since the silver-eyed wizard had always had a soft spot for both Hermione and Harry, too – despite the fact that he had only met the two some time ago. But the way his goddaughter's arms were securely wrapped around the bushy-haired girl's body and the way Minerva did the same with Harry was really a wonderful sight.

A sigh escaped him and Batty looked at him with wide blue eyes. The wizard smiled sadly and continued to pet her.

Involuntarily, images of the horrible battle flooded his mind. So many people had lost their lives, and even a funny-natured wizard such as himself wasn't able to see the good side of that. He knew that outside of this Hall, there was this small, dark, cold room with bodies – with both fighters for good and evil alike resting inside.

And he didn't dare to imagine what it would be like to have a loved one lying there… Most people of his biological family were dead, and the ones that weren't he didn't have contact with anymore.

But as long as the people he cared about – his real ' _family'_ – were safe and sound, Xemerius was considerably happy. Well, or at least as happy as one could be after a war.

Minerva probably felt the same, he thought with a small smile. As long as the people she loved were safe, she couldn't care less about the fact that her secret was now out in the open.

He grinned slightly; perhaps it was a long-needed change for her. The last year hadn't been good for his friends, he was sure of that. The way she moved, spoke, acted… Xemerius had known her long enough that he could tell something was wrong with her, though he couldn't quite place it. Perhaps it was merely the stupid toad and her bloody knife that almost killed her precious daughter… But even by the way she was sleeping at the moment, her eyelids firmly pressed together, her face un-relaxed and her body curled tightly against Albus' as if she was having one of her nightmares again…

Thinking about the pain his best friend was in, the silver-eyed wizard immediately balled his hands into fists; judging by the sound, little Batty didn't like that at all. "Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly.

' _Am I dreaming or did this little thing just roll its eyes on me?'_

Chuckling, the elderly wizard shook his head and retrieved his wand from underneath his pillow. Three spells later, his teeth were brushed, his hair combed, his old robes neatly folded on his cot and a new, purple robe on his body. When his silver eyes fell upon Horace, who was snoring on his cot, he couldn't help himself but put some jumping, pink unicorns on his pyjamas. He had always been a horrible teacher, and perhaps a little prank would cheer everyone else up, too. With a slight blush he realized that the spell might have been a bit too strong, since Moody's robes, who slept soundly on the next cot, also turned into a bright pink. _Well, he'll never find out it was me_ , Xem thought, grinning.

Putting his wand back in his pocket, he started walking towards the hospital wing; there was some unfinished business he had to straighten out with a certain blonde medi-witch. A conversation that was long overdue and would probably wake old demons from the past.

* * *

 _Minerva didn't know where she was. Everything around her was black, the wind was hauling in the near distance, the air was cold and sending chills down her spine. Everything seemed so odd, but at the same time familiar. A dark alley in between high buildings, rain pouring from the skies as if it was a waterfall._

 _Suddenly, something moved._

 _Startled, the witch turned around. The cold air riffled through the thin fabric of her soaked robes; her whole body shook heavily._

 _Then she spotted the tip of a shadow down on the street. She twirled her head, looked around and her heart skipped a beat._

 _Between the skyline of buildings towering to both her sides, a grey stone emerged from the bottom of the street and it grew as fast as if it had been hit with an expandable spell; on top of him sat the silhouette of a man._

 _Shaking, Minerva took a step backwards; hands trembling._

 _She searched her pockets for her wand – in vain._

 _Slowly, as if not to draw attention on herself, she started walking further backwards; one step after the other. Left and right. Left and –_

 _Her heart stopped as she felt a large, cold hand on her bare shoulder._

" _You really think I'd let you get away this easily?"_

 _The voice, somehow estranged, sounded shallow and cold._

 _Minerva shivered and backed away from the man. No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to see his face, since it was covered by a large, dark hood._

" _I – I – please…"_

 _A cackling laugh was heard._

" _Now you're pleading?" He stepped closer towards her. Minerva tried to get some distance between them once more, but her body was frozen with fear._

" _After everything you've done to me, you're pleading for mercy?"_

 _The ebony haired witch felt tears welling up in her emerald eyes. She moved her feet, only to stumble and fall._

 _Crashing hard against the asphalt of the alley, a hand reached for her chin and forced her to look up._

 _His face was still covered in shadows, albeit a pair of dangerously sparkling green eyes was gazing back at her._

 _A muffled sound escaped Minerva when she saw them._

" _I take it now you remember, hmm?" His strong hands applied more pressure on her soft skin and Minerva gave her best not to let her tears fall._

" _Do you know where we are?" he hissed into her ear._

 _The emerald eyed witch didn't dare move. He slapped her against the cheek. Hard._

 _Minerva swallowed and moved her eyes ever so slightly. The streetlights flickered, the rain still poured down on them, but there, in the distance, were the outlines of an old and dusty house. A tavern – its walls painted in the same dirty moss green as it was years ago._

 _She closed her eyes for a moment; of course, she remembered this place. It had been haunting her for the last decades; the man next to her always on her mind._

" _Your memory isn't as rusty as I thought then," the man continued and pushed her back on the ground. "Quite impressive for an old woman who doesn't waste a single thought on her own flesh and blood."_

" _I – I am so s-sorry," Minerva stuttered, and the tears spilled from her eyes._

 _The man laughed wickedly. "Oh really?"_

" _Please, I – I never wanted – "_

 _He knelt down in front of her now, pressing a sharp knife to her throat; on his finger he wore an old and ancient ring that was sparkling in the faint moonlight – a crest was to be seen on it._

" _You never wanted what, hmm?" he whispered in a hoarse voice. "You never wanted to have me in the first place? Or you never wanted to give me away?"_

 _Minerva started sobbing. "Please,_ William _, I never – "_

 _She felt the knife tightening against her throat. "Don't call me that," he hissed. "You lost the right to call me by that name when you gave me up."_

 _His long fingers wrapped around her chin again. "Remember, you never wanted me,_ Mother."

 _This was her final string. She broke down and cried, albeit trying to keep her breathing under control._

" _I – I am so s-sorry," she repeated between sobs, "I – I didn't… Please, I – "_

 _She felt drops of blood slowly running down her throat as he leaned his face closer to hers. "Your begging is in vain, Mother. You should have thought about the consequences before you gave away your only son. There is no way I will ever forgive you for what you did."_

 _By now her whole body was shaking. She had feared this moment and re-lived it, over and over again, with the same result: Her boy would never forgive her._

" _Like a demon I will haunt you for the rest of your life," he continued and cut the knife deeper into her soft, ivory flesh. "I've grown up to be just like my father. Just like you always feared I would, Mother."_

 _This said, he forced the weapon deeper into her skin and watched her bleed. Her vision blurred, but the pain was nothing compared to the feeling of guilt that was slowly suffocating her. She tossed and turned, trying to speak to him, begging him for mercy, for forgiveness, and suddenly –-_

 _._

"MINERVA!"

"Mum!"

"Professor!"

"Minnie!"

"Minerva Esmeralda McGonagall!"

Ariana watched as her mother instantly opened her eyes. Shock, fear and panic were plainly written in them and it almost broke the witch's heart to see her mother in such a state.

She looked positively haunted, her breathing was still shallow, her forehead a bit sweaty and her whole body was still shaking terribly.

Completely dizzy and disorientated, the emerald eyed witch glanced around. When she recognized the people around her, she tried to push herself in an upright position. Her hair was a mess and strands of ebony were tangling down her shoulders in loose curls.

Arina reached out to help her, but as soon as she touched her mother, the elderly witch flinched away.

Rina's eyes widened and she exchanged a glance with her father, who was – like Harry – sitting next to the trembling witch on the cot.

"Min, it's alright," he whispered, his voice soft and reassuringly.

"What…?"

It seemed like the transfiguration mistress didn't quite know where to start. Arina knew that her mother had never been a person who liked attention very much and the many people crowded around her probably didn't help, but when the emerald eyed witch had started tossing and turning on her cot, Arina as well as her father, Harry, Hermione and Dan had been woken up.

The blue-eyed witch was aware of the fact that her mother had nightmares more often than she would like to admit, but it had been some time since they had been _this_ bad. She had screamed and whimpered in her sleep – which was the reason Arina had woken up in the first place.

When the young woman had tried to reach her, she stumbled rather unskilfully over another one of the cots; waking Augusta and Rolanda in the process.

Being best friends with her mother for years, the two older witches had immediately guessed what was going on with their friend.

Arina had also expected to immediately see Xem by the Deputy's side, but for some reason, his cot was empty – which was quite surprising since her Godfather usually wasn't an early riser.

The blue-eyed witch had to pull herself together when a memory filled her mind… a time when she had had a sleepover at her Godfather's and walked into his room at 6 o'clock in the morning, telling him that she was bored and wanted to play with him… his face had been priceless.

But soon, reality brought her back – or rather her mother's shaky voice.

"A nightmare," Minerva whispered as realisation dawned upon her. It was a statement more than a question, but her father nodded nonetheless.

Arina watched as her mother closed her eyes once again to sigh. She could tell that something, whatever she had dreamed about, was bothering her.

Then the elderly witch looked around properly for the first time and noticed the rumpled sheets all around her and the small pillow that was laying on the floor. She turned her head to look at her husband. The way he looked at her with his worried, tired and questioning blue eyes was answer enough.

"I woke you up," she said, clearly embarrassed as she also turned to face Harry.

Arina noticed that her Godson clearly didn't care about that; but like everyone else he seemed to be extremely worried about her.

But how was he supposed to know that the strong Scottish witch was plagued by nightmares constantly?

And as if he had read her thoughts, Harry smiled softly and reached out to take his Professor's hand in his own.

Arina smiled when she didn't flinch this time around.

"It's fine," Harry said reassuringly, "we were just worried about you."

The blue-eyed witch rolled her eyes as her mother mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Well, Mr. Potter – "

"Harry, please."

Rolanda Hooch laughed. "Well, maybe Harry doesn't mind. But I certainly do," the yellow-eyed witch with the short hair said accusingly, but the goofy grin that was playing around the corners of her lips gave her away. "Contrary to you, Min, I need to have my beauty sleep in order to prevent these ugly wrinkles from covering my lovely face."

Aidan chuckled, though Arina could tell that he didn't like the idea of the Scottish witch having those heavy nightmares either. He watched her, albeit scratching the ridge of his nose – Aidan always did that when he tried to figure out one of his more serious cases at the hospital.

"I'm sorry, Rolanda," her mother replied dryly, a bit of her former self showing again, "next time, I shall try to wake you at a more appropriate time."

.

Hermione sighed in relief at hearing the elderly witch throwing back one of her characteristically sarcastic answer at her long-time friend.

It released some of the tension that had formed earlier. The hazel eyed witch wasn't used to seeing this usually strong witch sobbing and pleading in her sleep.

Whatever she had dreamed about, it must have been horrible.

Professor Dumbledore was also glancing at his wife; his concern written all over his face.

But luckily, the transfiguration mistress seemed to have calmed down a bit again. She was now opening what was left of her French braid and put her hair up in a – really lovely – messy bun.

Then she patted Harry on the shoulder, an apologetic expression on her face. "Again, I'm really sorry. Let's hope we'll be able to change these sleeping arrangements soon. I would rather not have you injured just because I'm stirring in my sleep."

Harry smiled at her. "Well, apart from that, I haven't slept that good in years."

Surprise flashed over her face before she smiled back at him, relieved.

"But speaking of sleeping arrangements," Aberforth Dumbledore's unexpected voice sounded from behind them, "as nice as it was to have a sleepover in the good ol' Hall here, that ceiling looks more than a bit instable."

Augusta and Rolanda's faces stared at the younger Dumbledore in surprise.

"Since when are you an early riser?" Augusta asked.

He pointed towards the transfiguration mistress. "She woke me up," he said and quickly added, "no offence, Minerva. I don't sleep very well either these days. I just thought you've got enough people standin' around ya."

To Hermione's surprise, the ebony haired witch nodded thankfully.

"Well, he does have a point," Aidan added as he waved his hand to draw the attention to all the remaining people that were still sound asleep in the Hall – including the Weasleys, Luna, Neville, Sn – _Severus_ , Narcissa and Draco.

"Well, good idea," Rolanda raised an eyebrow towards Abe, "but you _have_ a place to stay if I'm not mistaken."

The bearded man shrugged rather uncomfortably. "The pub burned down last night."

Hermione nodded unconsciously. Yes, she remembered the Death Eaters storming Hogsmead and sending spells and curses everywhere. No wonder something caught on fire.

"As far as I know, Molly mentioned that the Burrow isn't in the best of conditions either, but fixable," her aunt Arina added thoughtfully.

Professor McGonagall, still leaning against Harry, let her emerald green eyes wander over the Hall and its people.

"Well, I agree with Aberforth – "

"That's a first – "

" – that the people cannot stay here for very much longer," she finished, skilfully ignoring her brother-in-law.

Augusta's olive eyes sparkled. "What do you have in mind, Min?"

The emerald eyed witch exchanged a look with her husband, who nodded slightly. Hermione could only smile at the sight.

"It is to be assumed that most of the houses are either completely ruined or momentarily unusable," Professor Dumbledore explained.

Aberforth rolled his eyes. "You don't say?"

The ebony haired witch ignored her brother-in-law once more. "Hogwarts' grounds are wide enough for emergency tents to be set up. Once the wards are renewed and strengthened, it should be as safe as in here."

Harry glanced at the witch excitedly. "You mean tents like the ones used during the Quidditch World-Cup?"

Professor McGonagall nodded with a smirk. "Exactly, Harry."

Rolanda on the other hand didn't really like the idea. "A _tent_? You expect _me_ to go _camping_ with all these people I barely know?"

This time, it was Augusta who replied. "First of all, I doubt it will only be one single tent," here she waited for the emerald eyed witch to nod, which she did. "Second of all, since your apartment has also been ruined, I'm sure you should appreciate _any_ place to stay, Ro."

The quidditch instructor sighed disappointedly. "I _hate_ tents."

Hermione noticed how this time Professor Dumbledore met his wife's eyes. They seemed to have some sort of unspoken conversation going on before the witch spoke up again.

"I'm sure that a lot of people would like to stay on the grounds despite having an untouched home somewhere, but – "

"Why would they want that?"

"Because, Rolanda, Hogwarts gives people a feeling of safety," the now short-bearded Headmaster explained. "But you're right, the tents – even several ones of them – will be filled to a maximum, then."

" _Great_."

Hermione almost laughed when she saw the way the emerald eyed witch rolled her eyes.

"Ro, you won't have to sleep in a tent."

Yellow eyes sparkled in surprise. "I don't?"

Minerva smiled kindly. Then she turned to face Harry and Hermione as well as the other people around her.

"Of course, I will have to talk with Molly about her plans first, but since McGonagall Manor has more than enough rooms, I would invite you to stay there until everything goes back to normal," she offered. "Oh, and remind me to extend the offer to Severus and Narcissa as well…"

Rolanda and Augusta cheered happily and high-fived each other.

"Are you sure you want to put up with _these two_ in your house as well as bunch of kids?" Aberforth grumbled, though jealousy was clearly audible in his voice.

Minerva raised an eyebrow, but Hermione assumed that she had something up her sleeves.

"Well, I'm about to put up with _you_ as well, Aberforth," she replied, but the corners of her mouth twitched.

The stunning and surprised look in the younger Dumbledore's eyes was something Hermione wouldn't quite forget easily. She really had to pull herself together in order not to start giggling.

From the sounds of it, Arina next to her had the same problem.

Abe stared at his brother, then at his sister-in-law with wide blue eyes. "You're inviting _me_ to stay at _your_ house?"

The couple nodded.

"After everything that happened?"

They nodded again.

The bearded man looked positively stunned. Then he smiled sincerely and nodded. "Thank you."

The Headmaster nodded as well. "Let's see if we can mend some fences, brother. I think Ana would like that."

Aberforth nodded, but pointed with a large smile on his lips towards the snoring Horace Slughorn next to them. "Just promise me to not put me in girlish unicorn-pyjamas," he cackled and upon realizing the old potion master's choice of night-wear, they all broke into laughter. "I mean, don't get me wrong, they do look rather adorable on Horace and they soften Alastor's features immensely, but I still have bits and pieces left of my dignity."

This said, people started chattering again – not too loudly, of course, since a lot of people were still sleeping.

"I hope you know that the same offer stands for the two of you, my dears?" Professor McGonagall spoke once again, this time directly to Harry and Hermione.

The hazel-eyed witch was stunned for a moment. She glanced at Harry, and the equally surprised expression told her that she had not imagined things.

Arina nudged her softly, albeit playing with Ariana Dumbledore's phoenix necklace. "That is, of course, only if the two of you want." She faced both Harry and Hermione. "I can understand if you don't – "

Harry beat her to answering. "I'd love to stay with you. Thank you," he replied and smiled at both his godmother and the emerald eyed Professor, before he hugged the latter.

Hermione beamed at them and mirrored Harry's actions, but embraced Arina instead.

Her aunt smiled and tightened her arms around her. "You're both very welcome, my loves."

* * *

"Urgh," Rolanda cursed as she made her way down to the kitchen with Augusta and Aberforth, "why do I have to jump over rocks and walk through mud and dirt while others are still sound asleep in the Great Hall?"

Aberfroth gave a chuckle. "Aren't you hungry?"

Augusta rolled her olive-coloured eyes. "Of course, she is."

"Well, yes, I am, but I'm also tired!"

The wizard shook his head in amusement and patted the yellow-eyed witch softly on the shoulder. "What's the saying? You've got to die one death."

This time, Rolanda sighed. "You sound like your brother."

He shrugged. "If the shoe fits. But seriously, let's just hope some of the elves are still down there to make breakfast. I'm starving."

* * *

Albus stretched out his arm and helped his wife climb over the last rock that had been blocking their way. Once she stood on her feet again, he gently put his strong arm around her waist and guided her through the entrance doors onto the wild, green fields of Hogwarts. The air was still foggy this early in the morning, but when he let his gaze wander he spotted the small streaks of the sun that was starting to warm and dry the grass.

Together, they walked past the whooping willow; the silence between them was peaceful and Albus sucked in the fresh morning air.

"What's on your mind, Tabby?" he asked after having watched his wife for some time.

They sat down on a small bench and she leaned into his embrace. "I missed you," the witch admitted in a soft whisper and buried her head in the crook of his neck.

The old wizard smiled softly and brushed his fingers through her hair.

He had missed her, too. More than words could ever describe. He had missed everything about her – her lovely emerald eyes, the smile she put on only for him, the way it felt when her body was snuggled against his own, waking up next to her…

And yet, ever since she woke up a couple of minutes earlier, Albus was worried about her. Sure, she had had nightmares before – Minerva's work as an Auror didn't go by without leaving the one or other invisible scar – but the way her body trembled, how she had whimpered and cried out in her sleep caused him to think about the reason for her nightmare. He could only guess, but unless Minerva told him, they were, of course, nothing more than guesses.

But he would give her the time she needed. He had made that mistake once; pressured her into telling him things when she wasn't ready, and it only made matters worse.

"I think that's a good place to set up the tent," Albus said instead, trying to get her mind into thinking about something trivial.

He felt how she moved her head, taking in everything around her.

"I would assist in setting it up, but I'm afraid Aidan would have my head for it if I used magic," Minerva mumbled half-heartedly.

Despite himself, Albus gave a soft chuckle. "I didn't plan on involving you. But I'm glad to hear it anyway."

She nudged him lovingly into the stomach. In return, he kissed her softly on the forehead.

"I missed you, too," he whispered into her ear; his voice unnaturally emotional.

* * *

When Draco woke up, he found himself in a rather unusual position. His mother had not wrapped her arms around him ever since he started Hogwarts. Sure enough, he would never admit it, but he enjoyed it immensely. The feeling of protection and safety was something he had missed terribly during the last couple of years, but being a Death Eater, he was not allowed to show any kind of emotion. They were all trained to be soulless and heartless fighters, not questioning the purposes and sacrifices that needed to be made in order to achieve a high position in the Dark Lord's inner circle.

Thinking about it now, Draco might have been able to walk on a different path, had he not been such a coward.

Getting up as quietly as possible so he wouldn't wake his mother and his godfather, Draco walked towards one of the windows in the hall. It was broken, but offered the chance to glance over the Black Lake. It was a much needed distraction, and gave him the opportunity to think about what happened during the last couple of hours.

The battle, the victory, the amazing offer of peace Pott- _Harry_ made, being forgiven by Professor McGonagall… the chance to start his life afresh.

And as he let his gaze wander over the grounds, he swore to himself that he would not waste this chance. The chance to perhaps find happiness after all.

"Is this seat taken?"

Startled by the soft, but unexpected voice, Draco turned around on his spot on the windowsill and blinked.

In front of him stood a young woman and he couldn't quite get rid of the idea that he had already seen her before. Her face was slim with high cheekbones, and like many others, she too, bore scars and scratches of the recent battle. Her aura was strong, but at the same time she seemed slim and fragile. There was also something rather mysterious about her that he couldn't quite grasp.

When she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, Draco realised that he had yet to give an answer. "Erm, yes, sure, sit if you really want to."

"Is there a reason I wouldn't want to sit next to you, Draco?"

The partly sassy, partly mischievous way she spoke caused the corners of his lips to turn upwards.

"You know who I am, that should be reason enough, don't you think?"

The only response she gave was a lovely smirk and soon enough, she elegantly jumped up and joined him.

For some reason, Draco couldn't stop staring at her stunning red lips. She was a real beauty – long, hazel brown hair that was cut just below the collar bone, deep amber eyes and a smile that almost knocked the breath out of him.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

Involuntary, Draco winced, and in doing so gave himself away. With an apologetic smile, he shrugged his shoulders.

"My name's Astoria," the young woman said and twirled a strand of hazel hair around her delicately slim fingers, "Astoria Greengrass."

* * *

Aidan tired his best to keep his facial expression as neutral as possible. Although his wife was still cuddling with both Harry and Hermione, tickling them occasionally and making both of them laugh, he knew that she only put on the 'happy-face'.

Of course, she loved spending time with the young adults – especially since they had to be so careful in the past – but he lived with her long enough to notice the lingering, worrysome glances she shot towards him ever since Minerva and Albus had left the hall.

After all, Arina had always been a good judge of character.

Aidan sighed. He didn't like to keep the truth from her. But he was a healer, and he took an oath to keep his patients' secrets. He loved his job, but he had never considered that there would be the case of having to treat his own mother-in-law without telling anyone about it. But he had made a promise; even though Arina would eventually curse him into the next century when she found out about her mother's disease.

For a moment, he thought back to the time when she had first approached him, asking for a medical consult. Considering the fact that one usually had to physically force her into a hospital, it should have been a clear sign that something was seriously wrong with her…

…

 _Dan sat at his desk, sorting out some papers from the last emergency operation when he heard a soft knock at the door._

" _It's open," he called, without looking up._

 _He heard the door opening. "Excuse me, Dr. Gold – "_

 _Aidan laughed. "How many times have I told you to call me by my first time, Dorothy?"_

 _The elderly head-nurse blushed a bright crimson that stood in deep contrast with her usually pale face and grey hair. "I keep trying, Dan. Though back in my times, it was only respectful to call a brilliant surgeon and healer by his title."_

 _The surgeon winked her into the room. "Well, times change. Otherwise, I would have to call you Head-Nurse Holloway all the time, wouldn't I?"_

" _Touché."_

 _Dan smiled at the old lady. "Now, I believe there was a reason for your visit, Doro?"_

 _Dorothy's eyes widened. "Oh, yes, yes! I was rather surprised that you've scheduled a council for a Saturday morning– "_

 _His eyebrow shot into his hairline, confused. "Actuallly, I didn't – "_

" _But well," the Headnurse continued, ignoring his input completely, "I take it Minerva can't afford to be absent during a weekdays, so – "_

 _Now she got Dan's complete attention. "Hold on. Minerva McGonagall?"_

 _It was Dorothy's turn to raise an eyebrow and she looked at him with the same expression when she talked to a younger, unexperienced nurse. "Do you know another Minerva working at Hogwarts, Adian?"_

 _The healer shook his head. "Erm, well, do send her in."_

 _With an amused expression, the old nurse left and a couple of minutes later his mother-in-law re-entered the office._

 _She smiled at him gratefully when she slowly sat down on the chair in front of his desk._

 _She looked tired and pale, with bags underneath her clouded emerald eyes and from the way she moved he could tell that her body was aching. Instantly, he knew that the hint of a smile she wore on her face was carefully chosen in order to cover her obvious discomfort._

" _Thanks for seeing me," she said honestly._

 _Dan sat up straight in his chair. "You must be in a hell of a lot pain, of course I'm seeing you, Minerva."_

 _The ebony-haired witch raised an eyebrow. "Now why would you assume – "_

" _Usually, people have to force you to even go down to the hospital wing and see Poppy," Dan stated and set down his pen. "You wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious."_

 _To his surprise, the usually sarcastic and witty witch he had grown to love didn't disagree. She only sighed._

" _I – I haven't been feeling too well lately," she admitted, and it was more than Dan thought he'd ever hear from her._

" _Go on," he encouraged her, although the bad feeling he had in his stomach grew with each passing second. "I'm here to help."_

 _The deputy head of Hogwarts took a deep breath and started fidgeting with the invisible wedding band she wore hidden on her fingers._

" _I have trouble concentrating," she started without looking at him. "I feel tired and distracted. Simply spells keep going wrong… I try to conceal it every time it happens in class… Merlin knows what happens when the students find out their Professor isn't capable of performing spells."_

 _Dan scribbled everything down on a random piece of paper. When she stopped talking, he looked up._

" _Anything else?" he asked, clearly worried._

 _She shook her head slowly. "It's probably nothing – "_

" _Tell me anyway."_

 _She swallowed._

" _Sometimes," the elderly witch continued in a low voice, "after a long day, I feel dizzy – nauseous even. And then, there are these cramps…"_

 _Dan gave her a stern look. "That's not nothing, Minerva," he scolded her._

 _She was about to protest, but he only held up his hand. "Tell me more about these cramps. Are they occurring in a more constant way or rather unfrequently?"_

" _Unfrequently," she answered and tightened her green robes around her body. "Sharp, and unexpected. Usually, it doesn't last longer than some mere seconds…"_

 _Dan bit his lip. "Usually," he concluded. "What's changed?"_

 _She sighed again. "I – I feel like the period is getting longer," she mumbles. "So far, I had little problems hiding it from students… but during the last couple of weeks it got harder to – "_

 _This got his attention._

" _Hold on," Dan said and stared into her tired emerald eyes. "You've had this pain for weeks?"_

 _The deputy Headmistress nodded uncomfortably._

" _This is worse than I thought," the Chief of Surgery mumbled quietly to himself. He was about to ask why she didn't come sooner, but stopped because he already knew the answer._

 _His mother-in-law hated hospitals._

 _Arina had told him about it a couple of years into their relationship. She told him how her parents, Apollo and Rose McGonagall, had first been terribly injured in an ambush and then died after they had succumbed to their injuries. How her little sister Athena, had suffered a similar fate and the fact that Arina's twin sister, Aurora, had died in the same hospital offered reason enough for the Scottish witch to dislike – and to a certain amount distrust – this place._

 _Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the ebony-haired witch._

" _Was there anything out of the ordinary that happened to you?" he asked and got himself a second piece of paper. "A battle? A duel? A stray spell that might have hit you?"_

 _The witch seemed to think for a moment, but eventually, she shook her head. "No, not that I could think of. I hit my head on my desk when I picked up the feather I had dropped, and I have a small cut on my hand, but that's about it."_

 _Dan put on a pair of gloves, then reached out for her hand, pulled his mother-in-law's leather-glove and examined the wound more closely. It was quite deep, the skin rippled by the blade of a blunt knife, and a bit too hot for his liking._

" _I'll have to take a blood sample as well as one from your wound here."_

 _He had expected a protest from the witch, but the fact that she only gave him a small, grateful smile showed him that she was indeed in a lot of pain._

 _Waving his wand, he levitated his medical equipment over to his desk and started working._

…

 _ **WOOOSH!**_

The sound of shattered glass brought Aidan back from his daydreaming.

"What in Merlin's name…" he heard his wife curse as she held up a two owls at the same time. One of them was tall and plump, but looked rather young. The other one was small, skinny and old.

Hermione and Harry started laughing, and even the young surgeon had to admit that the sight Arina – covered in feathers – was rather hilarious.

"Are you alright, Rina?" Dan asked, trying not to smile too much.

The blue-eyed witch coughed a bit and spit out some feathers, but nodded. "Yes, though it seems these owls have mistaken me for the owlery."

Shaking her head, she held up two letters.

To Dan's surprise, she handed one to him and the other one to Harry.

Shrugging, Harry and Dan looked at each other before opening their letters.

The healer had to smirk slightly when he caught a glimpse at the handwriting.

 _ **Dr. Aidan Gold  
Somewhere in the wizarding world  
I doubt they have a zip-code there, do you?**_

Arina, who had moved from her spot next to Harry and Hermione, looked over his shoulder and started laughing when she read the heading.

"Is this from whom I think it is?" she asked, and put her arms lovingly around his neck.

He kissed her hand before he leaned back against her body. "It sure is," he smiled and handed her the letter.

The ebony-haired witch let her fingers wander over the wax seal with the "W" pressed into it, before she ripped it open.

Her lips twitched upwards when she skimmed over the contents. "Only Liam would write something like this. He even pressed the 'W' that is engraved in his ring into the wax."

At the mentioning of his name, Hermione looked up.

"That's from my dad?" she asked, hope and excitement in her voice.

Both Arina and Aidan nodded happily. "Yes," Arina said, "luckily the stubborn man drank Dan's memory potion."

Harry laughed. "You call someone stubborn, A? People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

Arina faked confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Mr. Potter," she answered in her best teacher voice and even Dan, who had by now spent so much time with both his wife and Minerva, had to admit that in times like these, she resembled her mother more than ever.

"What does it say?" Hermione asked eagerly, and for a moment, she wasn't the 17-year-old adult that had lived through a war, but a young woman who missed her parents.

"Liam and Jean boarded an aircraft from Sidney to London," Arina answered their niece.

Hermione's eyes lit up.

"I suggest we pick them up when they arrive at the airport," Dan replied and looked at his wife and the young adults.

The bushy haired witch nodded enthusiastically.

"It will still take some time, so if you don't mind, we could first visit Max and pick up Arielle," Arina said, though it sounded more like a question.

Hermione's smile widened – if possible – even more. "Max? As in Grandpa Max?"

Aidan nodded, smiling. "The one and only."

"I can't wait to meet him," sounded a familiar voice from behind.

Dan turned and saw Ron and Ginny coming towards them. He smiled when the red-head went straight over to his girlfriend and gave her a kiss, before he sat down next to her – looking rather sheepishly.

Ginny on the other hand sat down on Harry's lap.

"Glad to see you awake," Harry said and kissed his girlfriend lovingly.

Dan smiled, and when he caught a glimpse of his wife, who was looking at the 'children' sweetly, his heart warmed up. It was a relief to Arina so happy – though he knew that she'd be even happier when she'd be re-united with their own daughter again. Hell, he missed his Arielle a lot and he knew that Arina did, too.

"Well, you're more than welcome to tag along, Ron," Arina offered, "so are you, Harry."

Harry smiled, but shook his head. "I might meet you there. Max doesn't live too far from Little Whinging, does he?"

Everyone looked at him confused, but it was Ginny who eventually asked, "You want to go to Little Whinging?"

Harry held up his own letter and shrugged. "That one's from Aunt Petunia," he spoke and ignored his godmother's eye-roll. "I have no idea how she managed to get a magical owl, but well… She said she would like to talk… and show me things… mend some fences."

"Mend some fences?" Ron asked suspiciously. "Mate, this woman forced you to life in a bloody cupboard for Merlin knows how many years!"

"I know," Harry said reluctantly, and Dan saw that a shiver ran down his spine. "She wrote that, too, and that ' _she knows that I probably don't want to ever see her again'_ \- "

Arina snorted. "Didn't think Petunia had that much good sense left in her."

Dan looked at her and rolled his eyes. She only shrugged.

It was Ginny, who spoke up again. "If you want to go, Harry, I'll come with you," she offered and placed her hand in his. "If all hell breaks loose, you've got someone with you that won't hesitate to punch your Aunt in the face."

* * *

A couple of corridors away, Xem took one step after another, albeit trying to avoid falling over the many bricks and rocks that barricaded the way to the Greenhouse – or what was left of it. The damage done during the last couple of hours was more severe than he had ever seen – not even during the first war against _he-who-is-now-dead._ The glass that once protected the plants and herbs was shattered and spread on the grounds, but the silvery eyed wizard didn't hesitate and slipped through the broken door and entered.

He didn't have to search very long until he spotted the pale blonde medi-witch. She stood at the back of the room, next to a plant he couldn't quite identify. Slipping his hands into his pocket, he made sure that Batty was still safe and sound before he approached his long-time-friend.

She had dark circles underneath her eyes as if she hadn't slept at all. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts for she cut the same plant, over and over again at the exact same place.

In order to get it over as soon as possible, Xemerius coughed and spoke her name to get her attention. "Poppy."

Startled, the witch jumped around and dropped the pair of scissors she had held in her hands. Her light blue eyes looked terrified and she fumbled in her lavender robes for her wand.

When she finally spotted her old friend, she visibly relaxed. "By Merlin's beard, Xem! What are you doing here?"

He stepped towards her and touched one of the trees casually. "I could ask you the same question."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm trying to pick what's left of the herbs. What does it look like?"

Xem bit his lip before he answered. "Well, it looks like you're trying to avoid your best friend."

In the way Poppy's eyes widened, the Ilvermorny Headmaster could see that he had cut straight to the point – even though she was pretty good at steeling her features to look innocent.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Xem."

"Oh really?" he asked and closed the distance until he stood right in front of her. He raised his eyebrow and looked at her with a serious and angry face. "I think you know damn well what I'm talking about."

The medi-witch turned away and busied herself with another plant, avoiding his eyes.

"You're avoiding Minerva," Xem continued because he knew that she was still listening to him. "You're afraid that the memories in the Mablomi will somehow bring up the truth."

Finally, Poppy turned, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"What I do or won't do is none of your concern, Xemerius," she snapped and pushed him towards the exit.

Even though Xem had never been the tallest or strongest of wizards, it was still enough to resist the medi-witch. He reached out and grabbed her wrist softly.

Then his silver eyes glared at her. "It very well is my concern, Poppy," he snapped back. "I've kept your secret all those years ago. I _kept the truth_ from Minerva for far too long."

Poppy titled her head. "What are you implying?"

Xem took a deep breath. "We both know that she will find out sooner or later. And as a friend, I strongly advise you to admit what happened all those years ago."

The medi-witch swallowed hard. "Xem – "

"No, either you tell Minerva, or I will," the wizard said. "It's your choice. The demons of the past won't sleep forever. Min will find out sooner or later and I'd rather tell her personally. She deserves to know what really happened to Aurora."

* * *

 _...To be continued..._


End file.
